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UNIVERSITY 

Vol.  XIX 


OF      ILLINOIS 

APRIL,  24  1922 
ISSUED  WEEKLY 


BULLETIN 

No.  35 


[Entered  as  second-class  matter  December  n,  1912,  at  the  post  office  at  Urbana,  Illinois,  under  the 
Act  of  August  24,  1912.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  the  special  rate  of  postage  provided  for 
in  section  1103,  Act  of  October  3,  1917,  authorized  July  31,  1918.] 


THE  GAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

WITH  16  PLATES 
A  PRELIMINARY  PAPER 

BY 

WARREN  K.  MOOREHEAD 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


THE  GAHOKIA  MOUNDS 


WITH  16  PLATES 


A  PRELIMINARY  PAPER 


BY 

WARREN  K.  MOOREHEAD 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA,  ILLINOIS 


COPYRIGHT,  1922 
BY  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


Distributed  April  26,  1922 

Contributions  from   the   Museum  of 
Natural  History,  No.  19 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Preface  6 

Introduction 7 

The  View  from  Monks  Mound 9 

The  Village  Site 1 1 

Description  of  the  Mounds  and  of  Recent  Explorations 13 

The  Largest  Mound.     Monks  or  Cahokia 13 

The  Ramey  Mound 18 

The  Kunnemann  Mound 18 

Smith's  Mound 20 

The  Edward's  Mounds 21 

The  Jesse  Ramey  Mound 22 

Other  Mounds  Tested 22 

Conclusions  on  the  Excavations 23 

Exploration  of  the  Village  Site 23 

Utensils  and  Implements  from  Cahokia 25 

Notes  upon  a  Collection  Secured  from  the  Surface 29 

The  Pottery  from  Cahokia 30 

Caches  at  Cahokia 31 

Use  of  Copper  at  Cahokia 3 1 

Conclusions 35 

Possibility  of  Important  Discoveries 36 

Prebervation  of  the  Group 37 

Resolution  by  American  Anthropological  Association 39 

Cahokia  Bibliography.. 40 


V 


PREFACE 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  thank  those  who  contributed  toward  the 
Cahokia  explorations  of  September-October,  1921.  The  President 
and  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois  have  my  gratitude  for  their 
liberal  appropriation.  Doctor  A.  R.  Crook,  Chief,  Illinois  State  Mu- 
seum Division,  also  contributed  generously  and  I  desire  to  express 
appreciation.  The  Trustees  of  Phillips  Academy  made  an  ad- 
vance appropriation  and  financed  the  preliminary  work,  for  which 
I  thank  them.  As  the  museums  and  societies  had  already  made 
their  budgets  for  1921,  it  became  necessary  to  appeal  to  individuals. 
A  grand  total  of  $4800  was  raised,  of  which  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois, the  State  Museum  of  Illinois  and  Phillips  Academy,  Andover, 
Massachusetts,  gave  $3,050.  I  hereby  express  sincere  thanks  to  the 
following  contributors : 

Illinois   Historical    Society Springfield,    111. 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History New  York,  N.  Y. 

Davenport  Academy  of  Sciences Davenport,,  Iowa 

John  H.  Beebe Boston 

E.  W.  Payne Springfield,  111. 

W.  T.  Bush New  York,  N.  Y. 

W.  F.  Chandler Fresno,  California 

East  St.  Louis  Traction  Company East  St.  Louis,  111. 

C.  L.  Hutchinson   Chicago 

Dr.  0.  L.  Schmidt Chicago 

Chicago  Historical  Society   Chicago 

Willard  V.  King   New  York,  N.  Y. 

M.  C.  Long Kansas  City,  Mo. 

The  Newark  Museum  Association Newark,  N.  J. 

The  Charleston  Museum Charleston,  S.  C. 

F.  P.  Hills  Delaware,  Ohio 

G.  C.  Fraser Morristown,  N.  J. 

Joseph  Pulitzer,  Jr St.  Louis 

Victor  L.  Lawson   Chicago 

Major  Albert  A.  Sprague   Chicago 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaac  Sprague Wellesley  Hills,  Mass. 

John  B.  Stetson,  Jr Elkins  Park,  Pa. 

Judge  Edward  Lindsey  Warren,  Pa. 

Miss  Lucy  L.  W.  Wilson Philadelphia,  Pa. 

it  is  thought  best  not  to  expand  our  list  by  including  everyone 
wno  gave  towards  our  explorations,  but  appreciation  of  their  kind- 
ness is  hereby  expressed. 

To  the  owners  we  are  all  greatly  indebted.  Without  their  co- 
operation and  permission  to  explore,  it  would  have  been  impossible 
to  carry  on  our  observations.  The  Ramey  and  Merrell  families  have 
my  especial  thanks;  also  Messrs.  Edwards,  Smith,  Cole,  Tippetts, 
Powell  and  Harding.  To  Mr.  Kunnemann  and  other  tenants  of  the 
properties,  and  Major  Merrell  (in  charge  of  the  ex-service  men's 
camp)  we  were  much  indebted.  All  of  the  owners,  both  men  and 
women,  fully  appreciate  the  importance  of  Cahokia  and  were  and 
are  willing  to  give  a  full  measure  of  aid  in  any  movement  leading 
up  to  the  preservation  of  these  monuments. 


INTRODUCTION 

One  stands  upon  the  summit  of  the  largest  Cahokia  mound  and 
looks  across  the  famous  American  Bottoms.  He  is  one  hundred 
feet  above  the  plain  and  his  vision  is,  therefore,  not  impaired  since 
there  are  few  buildings  nearby,  and  trees  not  numerous  save  far  to 
the  south.  Both  the  site  and  the  view  are  conducive  to  reflection 
on  the  past  and  one's  mind  harks  back  to  the  days  of  Brackenridge, 
Flagg,  and  Featherstonehaugh — for  these  men  saw  Cahokia  at  its 
best.  Fortunate  indeed  is  it  that  these  pioneers  in  Cahokia  archeol- 
ogy gave  us  clear  word  pictures  of  conditions  then,  for  while  practi- 
cally all  of  the  tumuli  remain,  their  external  contour  is  altered.  And 
after  these  pioneers  came  Rau,  McAdams,  Patrick,  Putnam,  Bush- 
nell,  and  others  who  mapped  and  described  the  mounds  as  they  saw 
them  in  the  years  1874  to  1905. 

Notwithstanding  the  preeminence  of  Cahokia  over  all  other 
mound-groups  in  the  United  States  there  appears  to  have  been  little 
attempt  at  either  study  or  exploration.  Indeed,  the  several  gentle- 
men who  visited  the  mounds  between  the  years  1874  and  1905  con- 
tented themselves  with  brief  descriptions.  The  longest  published 
account  is  the  paper  by  Mr.  D.  I.  Bushnell,  Jr.* 

Mr.  W.  W.  McAdams,  who  was  curator  of  the  State  Museum 
at  Springfield,  and  Dr.  J.  J.  R.  Patrick  seem  to  have  excavated  to  a 
considerable  extent  in  the  cemetery  northeast  of  the  largest  mound, 
yet  I  am  unable  to  find  any  detailed  record  of  their  observations. 

After  reading  all  the  references  to  Cahokia  I  consulted  with 
witnesses  who  were  present  during  McAdams'  explorations  and 
also  with  persons  living  in  the  vicinity  who  had  more  or  less  knowl- 
edge of  conditions  at  Cahokia  during  the  past  fifty  years.  After  one 
has  examined  the  assembled  evidence,  both  written  and  spoken,  it 
is  not  difficult  to  explain  the  lack  of  thorough  exploration  of  these 
famous  mounds. 

Most  attention  seems  to  have  been  concentrated  on  the  largest 
tumulus  locally  known  as  Monks  Mound.  In  fact,  nearly  all  the 
descriptions  center  in  this  ranking  structure.  Mr.  Thomas  Ramey, 
the  father  of  the  present  eight  Ramey  heirs,  was  probably  the  first 
owner  of  Cahokia  property  to  manifest  a  real  interest  in  the  preser- 
vation of  the  mounds.  This  does  not  indicate,  permit  me  to  hasten 

*Peabody  Museum  Report;  20  pages,  7  figures,  and  5  plates. 


THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 


to  explain,  that  other  owners  today  do  not  appreciate  the  importance 
of  the  group.  On  the  contrary,  the  statement  refers  to  the  past — a 
period  from  about  1868  to  1890.  Altho  Ramey  employed  some 
coal  miners  from  Collinsville  and  ran  a  short  tunnel  into  the  mound, 
and  also  permitted  one  or  two  excavations  in  mounds  south  of 
Monks,  yet  on  the  whole,  he  was  adverse  to  excavations.  From  the 
time  of  his  death  until  the  summer  of  1921  his  heirs,  the  Misses 
and  Messrs.  Ramey,  have  refused  permission  to  those  who  sought 
to  excavate.  This  also  applies  to  Mr.  George  B.  Merrell  and  his 
family  and  the  other  owners.  Numbers  of  persons  visited  the  mounds 
with  a  view  to  exploration  the  past  thirty  years  and  several  collectors 
in  the  neighborhood  also  sought  to  dig.  We  thus  have  the  explana- 
tion, it  seems  to  me,  of  the  general  impression  that  the  owners  were 
adverse  to  an  examination  of  the  mounds.  As  a  result  of  many  con- 
versations with  these  owners  I  am  prepared  to  state  that  they  are 
not  and  have  not  been  adverse  to  scientific  research  at  Cahokia,  but 
they  think  that  such  should  be  part  of  a  definite  plan  which  will 
culminate  in  the  preservation  of  the  area  in  a  state  or  national  park. 

There  is  even  a  more  potent  reason  why  the  mounds  have  not 
been  examined.  The  undertaking  would  be  very  expensive.  Until 
recent  years  no  museum  or  institution  could  spend  larger  sums  of 
money  in  American  archeology  excepting  perhaps  in  Central  and 
South  America.  Undoubtedly  it  would  require  years  to  properly 
explore  Cahokia.  A  large  force  of  labor  would  be  required.  Mr. 
Ramey,  Sr.,  once  desired  to  ascertain  the  cost  of  certain  explorations, 
and  requested  an  engineer  to  estimate  the  cost  of  two  tunnels  at 
right  angles  through  the  base  of  Monks  Mound.  Even  in  the  days 
when  labor  was  much  cheaper,  work  could  not  be  done  short  of 
$15,000.  We  trenched  the  Kunnemann  mound  through  to  the  cen- 
ter, employing  twenty  men  and  using  five  teams  and  our  expense 
was  $600.  It  will  thus  be  observed  that  without  great  outlay  of  both 
time  and  money  an  exploration  of  Cahokia  would  be  impossible. 
These  two  factors  explain  why  Cahokia  is,  today,  practically 
unexplored. 

In  the  light  of  modern  archeological  science,  it  is  fortunate 
that  Cahokia  has  not  been  explored.  We  should  render  all  the  own- 
ers a  full  meed  of  praise  since  they  have  protected  these  mounds  at 
considerable  expense  for  many  years.  Some  forty-two  acres  are 
lost  to  cultivation.  That  is,  on  the  several  estates  mounds  not  avail- 


INTRODUCTION 


able  for  agriculture  cover  forty-two  acres.  Aside  from  taxes  there 
are  charges  for  drainage,  roads,  etc.  This  together  with  the  loss  of 
revenue  from  forty-two  acres  during  the  past  twenty  years  amounts 
to  many  thousands  of  dollars. 

THE  VIEW  FROM  MONKS  MOUND 

We  are  again  standing  on  the  summit  of  this  remarkable  pyra- 
mid. Six  miles  to  the  west  we  clearly  observe  the  great  city  of  St. 
Louis.  Four  miles  in  the  same  direction  is  East  St.  Louis.  A  scant 
two  miles  west,  northwest  and  southwest  we  see  the  encroaching 
factories  and  railway  yards.  The  charm  of  the  Great  Plain,  the 
primitive  simplicity  and  beauty  of  the  American  Bottoms  as  observed 
by  Brackenridge,  Ford,  and  Featherstonehaugh  is  of  the  past.  Yet 
looking  directly  south  over  the  Merrell,  Ramey,  Tippett  and  Wells 
estates  we  note  that  there  has  not  been  so  great  a  change.  True, 
many  of  the  mounds  have  been  cultivated  until  the  original  contour 
is  somewhat  marred.  Yet  it  would  be  no  very  great  undertaking 
to  restore  them  to  the  pyramidal  and  conical  form.  About  the  shores 
of  the  lake  and  in  the  woods  and  even  beyond  the  railway,  two-thirds 
of  a  mile  south  where  is  located  the  great  Harding  pyramid,  are 
nearly  a  score  of  mounds  in  practically  the  same  condition  as  they 
were  a  century  ago.  Eliminating  a  few  mounds  in  the  edge  of  East 
St.  Louis  here  to  the  south  and  also  to  the  north  across  Cahokia 
creek  we  have  spread  before  us  a  great  possibility  (and  we  hope 
probability)  of  a  state  park. 

Brackenridge's  description,  written  in  1811  and  published  in 
1814,  has  been  so  frequently  quoted  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  it 
here.  He  observed  as  did  Flagg  a  great  number  of  artifacts  strewn 
over  the  surface  and  that  there  were  many  small  elevations  which 
have  probably  since  disappeared.  What  impressed  him,  as  well  as 
the  others  of  those  early  days,  was  not  only  the  charm  and  mystery 
of  the  mounds  themselves  but  their  pleasant  location  in  the  Great 
Plain  and  that  this  plain  was  not  entirely  a  prairie  but  broken  here 
and  there  by  clumps  of  heavy  vegetation  and  ponds  of  water. 

It  requires  no  stretch  of  imagination  to  those  familiar  with 
American  archeology  to  catch  the  point  of  view  of  these  early  vis- 
itors to  the  Cahokia  group.  After  reading  their  accounts  carefully, 
it  is  not  difficult  for  one,  from  the  top  of  the  great  mound,  to  recon- 


io THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

struct  the  past.  One  eliminates  the  factories,  the  macadam  road 
and  the  cities.  And  having  done  this  we  will  surrender  the  pen  to 
Mr.  Flagg,*  since  his  account  has  been  less  frequently  published 
than  those  of  others. 

"The  view  from  the  southern  extremity  of  the  mound,  which  is  free  from  trees 
and  underbrush,  is  extremely  beautiful.  Away  to  the  south  sweeps  off  the  broad 
rirer-bottom,  at  this  place  about  seven  miles  in  width,  its  waving  surface  variegated 
by  all  the  magnificant  hues  of  the  summer  flora  of  the  prairies.  At  intervals,  from  the 
deep  herbage  is  flung  back  the  flashing  sheen  of  a  silvery  lake  to  the  oblique  sunlight; 
while  dense  groves  of  the  crab-apple  and  other  indigenous  wild  fruits  are  sprinkled 
about  like  islets  in  the  verdant  sea.  To  the  left,  at  a  distance  of  three  or  four  miles, 
stretches  away  the  long  line  of  bluffs,  now  presenting  a  surface  marked  and  rounded 
by  groups  of  mounds,  and  now  wooded  to  their  summits,  while  a  glimpse  at  times 
may  be  caught  of  the  humble  farmhouses  at  their  base.  On  the  right  meanders  the 
Cantine  Creek,  which  gives  the  name  to  the  group  of  mounds,  betraying  at  intervals 
its  bright  surface  through  the  belt  of  forest  by  which  it  is  margined.  In  this  direction, 
far  away  in  blue  distance,  rising  through  the  mist  and  forest,  may  be  caught  a  glimpse 
of  the  spires  and  cupolas  of  the  city,  glancing  gayly  in  the  rich  summer  sun.  The  base 
of  the  mound  is  circled  upon  every  side  by  lesser  elevations  of  every  form  and  at  vari- 
ous distances.  Of  these,  some  lie  in  the  heart  of  the  extensive  maize-fields,  which 
constitute  the  farm  of  the  proprietor  of  the  principal  mound,  presenting  a  beautiful 
exhibition  of  light  and  shade,  shrouded  as  they  are  in  the  dark,  twinkling  leaves. 
The  most  remarkable  are  two  standing  directly  opposite  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  principal  one,  at  a  distance  of  some  hundred  yards,  in  close  proximity  to  each  other 
and  which  never  fail  to  arrest  the  eye.  There  are  also  several  large  square  mounds 
covered  with  forest  along  the  margin  of  the  creek  to  the  right,  and  groups  are  caught 
rising  from  the  declivities  of  the  distant  bluffs. 

"Upon  the  western  side  of  Monk  Mound,  at  a  distance  of  several  yards  from  the 
summit,  is  a  well  some  eighty  or  ninety  feet  in  depth;  the  water  of  which  would  be 
agreeable  enough  were  not  the  presence  of  sulphur,  in  some  of  its  modifications,  so 
palpable.  This  well  penetrates  the  heart  of  the  mound,  yet,  from  its  depth,  cannot 
reach  lower  than  the  level  of  the  surrounding  plain.  I  learned,  upon  inquiry,  that 
when  this  well  was  excavated,  several  fragments  of  pottery,  of  decayed  ears  of  corn, 
and  other  articles,  were  thrown  up  from  a  depth  of  sixty-five  feet;  proof  incontestible 
of  the  artificial  structure  of  the  mound.  The  associations,  when  drinking  the  water 
of  this  well,  united  with  its  peculiar  flavour,  are  not  of  the  most  exquisite  character, 
when  we  reflect  that  the  precious  fluid  has  probably  filtrated,  part  of  it,  at  least, 
through  the  contents  of  a  sepulchre." 

Aside  from  the  mounds  the  depressions  or  ponds  and  the  vil- 
lage site  are  quite  important.  From  our  vantage  point  we  note  that 
while  certain  of  the  mounds  are  clustered  together,  others  are  at  a 
considerable  distance  apart.  In  these  level  spots  lying  between  the 
mounds  is  a  village  site.  Indications  of  Indian  habitation  were  most 
•The  Far  West,  Vol.  I,  pages  166,  167,  1838. 


INTRODUCTION  .  n 


numerous  northwest  of  Monks  Mound,  about  the  pyramid  owned 
by  Mr.  Smith,  400  yards  east  and  south  across  the  fields  to  the  line 
of  timber.  It  is  impossible  at  present  writing  to  give  the  actual  ex- 
tent of  the  village.  Although  we  spent  two  months  at  Cahokia  with 
a  large  crew  it  can  be  truthfully  affirmed  that  our  observations  are 
just  begun. 

THE    VILLAGE  SITE 

Where  we  excavated  at  various  points  in  the  village  site,  we 
found  disturbed  ground  at  depths  ranging  from  one  to  four  feet. 
Northeast  of  the  dominant  mound  the  debris  appears  to  be  the 
thickest,  yet  all  over  the  area  south  of  the  state  highway  pot- 
tery fragments,  chips,  and  flint  arrowheads  may  be  found  from 
the  surface  to  a  depth  of  one  foot.  More  than  a  thousand  broken 
artifacts  and  pottery  were  secured  by  us  from  our  test  pits.  In  our 
preliminary  examination  there  were  extensive  areas  of  land  which  we 
were  unable  to  test.  These  should  be  carefully'  inspected  during 
the  coming  season  and  next  year. 

One  of  these,  which  we  did  not  see,  should  be  here  noted.  In 
the  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology 
pp.  133-134,  Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas  describes  the  work  of  McAdams 
and  Patrick  on  the  banks  of  the  old  channel  of  Canteen  creek — the 
southern  branch  of  Cahokia  creek.  He  states: 

"It  is  worthy  of  note  that  nearly  all  the  relics  found  at  the  Cahokia  group  of 
mounds  have  been  taken  from  the  low  ground  between  the  mounds.  The  remarkable 
find  of  pottery,  implements,  and  shells  made  by  Mr.  McAdams  in  the  winter  of  1881 
was  in  the  low  land  a  short  distance  from  the  northeast  corner  of  the  great  mound. 
The  articles  were  nearly  all  taken  from  a  square  rod  of  ground.  This  has  been  to 
some  extent  Dr.  Patrick's  experience  in  making  his  fine  collection  of  pottery. 

"The  real  burial  place  of  the  builders  of  the  Cahokia  mounds  probably  is  yet 
to  be  discovered. 

"  The  bank  of  Cahokia  creek  during  the  occupation  of  the  mounds  was  evidently 
more  to  the  south  than  its  present  line  along  the  eastern  part  of  the  group.  The  old 
bank  is  still  plainly  visible.  The  low  land  between  this  old  bank  and  the  creek  is 
now  covered  with  forest  trees.  All  along  this  bank,  which  forms  the  edge  of  the 
plateau  on  which  the  mounds  stand,  are  abundant  evidences  of  occupation  in  remote 
times.  In  digging  2  or  3  feet  at  almost  any  point  along  this  bank  indications  of  fire- 
places are  found,  with  numerous  river  shells,  broken  pottery,  and  kitchen  refuse. 
As  all  the  arable  ground  about  the  mound  has  been  in  cultivation  many  years,  it  is 
quite  possible  that  some  of  the  burial  places,  which  are  usually  quite  shallow,  have 
been  destroyed,  as  pieces  of  human  bones  are  very  common  in  the  plowed  fields." 


12  THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

Since,  as  stated,  barely  sufficient  has  been  done  to  make  sure 
of  the  presence  of  a  large  village  site,  further  comment  on  it  at  this 
time  is  unnecessary.  Subsequently  in  this  report  we  shall  quote 
Dr.  Rau  upon  pottery  and  agricultural  implements  found  at  Cahokia 
fifty  years  ago. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MOUNDS  AND  OF  RECENT 
EXPLORATIONS 

The  best  and  most  complete  map  of  the  Cahokia  group  I  have 
observed  is  the  result  of  a  survey  made  by  County  Surveyor  Hilgard 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  J.  J.  R.  Patrick  assisted  by  B.  J.  Van 
Court  of  O'Fallon,  111.,  and  Wm.  J.  Seever  of  St.  Louis.  The  work 
was  done  about  1880  and  the  original  map  owned  by  the  Missouri 
Historical  Society  was  loaned  us.  We  made  a  copy  which  is  here- 
with reproduced  (Fig.  i).  The  plot  of  the  mounds  presented  in  the 
I2th  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  (Plan  VI.)  (oppo- 
site page  134)  apparently  reproduces  Hilgard's  map. 

A  model  was  prepared  for  the  Peabody  Museum  at  Harvard 
by  Mr.  D.  I.  Bushnell,  Jr.  A  small  model  has  been  made  by  Doctor 
George  B.  Higgins  of  St.  Louis  and  left  with  the  Ramey  family. 
Doctor  Higgins  does  not  claim  that  his  model  is  accurate,  but  it 
shows  the  location  of  the  principal  mounds 

Reference  to  our  map  will  indicate  that  the  majority  of  the 
mounds  are  west,  south  or  east  of  Monks  Mound.  There  are  a  few 
on  the  north  side  of  Cahokia  Creek.  The  larger  tumuli  occupy  the 
center  of  the  group  east  and  west,  but  not  the  center  north  and  south. 
Probably  the  low  lands  lying  along  Cahokia  Creek  interfered  with 
mound  construction.  Seven  of  the  rectangular  mounds  or  pyramids 
are  almost  in  a  straight  line  east  and  west.  Today  many  of  the 
mounds  shown  in  the  original  map  by  Mr.  Hilgard,  also  on  Bush- 
nell's  model  and  Thomas'  map,  appear  externally  as  ovals  rather 
than  pyramids.  This  is  due  to  farming  operations.  It  will  there- 
fore be  necessary  for  us  to  compare  and  check  up  very  carefully  all 
descriptions  by  observers  in  the  past  with  measurements  and  de- 
scriptions to  be  made  in  the  future.  Manifestly  the  survey  of  1875 
is  accurate  and  if  Mr.  Hilgard  or  Mr.  Patrick  drew  a  certain  mound 
as  a  pyramid  and  today  it  appears  as  an  oval  or  oblong  mound,  it 
should  be  classified  as  a  pyramid.  The  steep  conical  mounds  do  not 
seem  to  have  been  altered  as  much  as  the  larger  pyramids. 

THE  LARGEST  MOUND.     MONKS  OR  CAHOKIA. 
This  has  for  many  years  been  called  Monks  Mound  (Figs.  3,  4) 
because  of  the  presence  of  the  Trappists  during  a  short  period  be- 
tween 1808-1813.     It  would  seem  to  the  writer  that  we  should  call 
the  entire  group  of  tumuli  the  Cahokia  group  and  that  the  larger 


14 THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

mounds  should  be  named  in  honor  of  the  many  owners  rather  than 
numbered.  Whether  the  largest  mound  should  be  called  Cahokia  or 
Monks  can  be  determined  later.  Most  persons  refer  to  all  of  them 
as  the  Cahokia  group,  and  to  designate  one  mound  as  the  Cahokia 
Mound  seems  rather  confusing.  For  the  present,  or  at  least  in  this 
report,  we  shall  refer  to  the  largest  one  as  Monks  Mound. 

It  is  much  washed  and  weather-worn  at  the  present  time,  and 
has  lost  a  great  deal  of  its  original  charm.  In  fact  if  one  should  com- 
pare the  various  views  taken  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago  of  the  mound 
with  a  photograph  of  it  today,  one  would  scarcely  imagine  the  two 
to  represent  the  same  structure. 

The  truncated  pyramid  effect  was  observed  by  all  the  early 
visitors.  It  is  necessary  to  make  use  of  their  descriptions  in  order 
to  reconstruct  the  mound  as  it  was. 

Professor  Putnam  was  in  close  touch  with  Doctor  Patrick  and 
others  and  in  the  I2th  Annual  Report  of  the  Peabody  Museum  he 
presents  the  following  observations. 

"Cahokia  Mound.  In  company  with  several  gentlemen  from  St.  Louis,  I  had 
the  good  fortune  in  September  last  (1879)  to  visit  the  largest  mound  within  the  limits 
of  the  United  States.  *  *  *  While  there  is  not  the  slightest  evidence  that  the 
Cahokias  of  the  time  of  LaSalle  were  builders  of  this,  or  of  other  mounds  in  the  vicin- 
ity, it  is  a  gratification  to  be  able  to  perpetuate  the  name  of  an  extinct  tribe  of  Ameri- 
can Indians  in  connection  with  this  monument  of  an  unknown  American  Nation, 
rather  than  that  of  a  religious  order  of  foreign  origin. 

"Situated  in  the  midst  of  a  group  of  about  sixty  other  mounds,  of  more  than 
ordinary  size,  several  in  the  vicinity  being  from  30  to  60  feet  in  height,  and  of  various 
forms,  Cahokia  Mound,  rising  by  four  platforms,  or  terraces,  to  a  height  of  about 
one  hundred  feet,  and  covering  an  area  of  over  twelve  acres,  holds  a  relation  to  the 
other  tumuli  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  similar  to  that  of  the  Great  Pyramid  of  Egypt 
to  the  other  monuments  of  the  Valley  of  the  Nile. 

"I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  state  that  Dr.  J.  J.  R.  Patrick,  a  careful  and  zealous 
archeologist,  residing  in  the  vicinity  of  this  interesting  monument  has,  with  the 
'assistance  of  other  gentlemen,  not  only  made  a  survey  of  the  whole  group  of  which 
Cahokia  is  the  prominent  figure,  but  has  also  prepared  two  accurate  models  of  the 
mound  itself;  copies  of  which  have  been  promised  to  the  Museum. 

"One  of  these  models  (Fig.  5)  represents  the  mound  as  it  now  appears,  with  its 
once  level  platform  and  even  slopes  gullied,  washed  and  worn  away;  and  the  other 
(Fig.  6)  is  in  the  form  of  a  restoration,  showing  the  mound  as  it  probably  existed  before 
the  plough  of  the  white  man  had  destroyed  its  even  sides  and  hard  platforms,  and  thus 
given  nature  a  foothold  for  her  destructive  agencies.  The  projecting  portion  (A) 
from  the  apron  (B)  points  nearly  due  south. 

*Twelfth  Annual  Report,  Peabody  Museum  of  American  Archeology,     pages 

.470-475,  1880. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MOUNDS  15 

"Probably  this  immense  tumulus  was  not  erected  primarily  as  a  burial  mound, 
though  such  may  prove  to  be  the  case.  From  the  present  evidence  it  seems  more 
likely  that  it  was  made  in  order  to  obtain  an  elevated  site  for  some  particular  purpose; 
presumably  an  important  public  building.  One  fact,  however,  which  I  observed, 
indicated  that  a  great  length  of  time  was  occupied  in  its  construction,  and  that  its 
several  level  platforms  may  have  been  the  sites  of  many  lodges,  which,  possibly,  may 
have  been  placed  upon  such  artificial  elevations  in  order  to  avoid  the  malaria  of  a  dis- 
trict, the  settlement  of  which  in  former,  as  in  recent  times,  was  likely  due  to  the  pro- 
lific and  easily  cultivated  soil;  or,  more  likely,  for  the  purpose  of  protection  from 
enemies.  The  fact  to  which  I  allude,  is  that  everywhere  in  the  gullies,  and  over  the 
broken  surface  of  the  mound,  mixed  with  the  earth  of  which  it  is  composed,  are  quanti- 
ties of  broken  vessels  of  clay,  flint  chips,  arrowheads,  charcoal,  bones  of  animals,  etc., 
apparently  the  refuse  of  a  numerous  people;  of  course  it  is  possible  that  these  remains, 
so  unlike  the  homogeneous  structure  of  an  ordinary  mound,  may  be  the  simple  refuse 
of  numerous  feasts  that  may  have  taken  place  on  the  mound  at  various  times  during 
its  construction.  The  first  interpretation,  however,  is  as  well  borne  out  as  any  other 
from  our  present  knowledge  of  this  mound;  the  structure  and  object  of  which  cannot 
be  fully  understood  until  a  thorough  examination  has  been  made,  and  while  such  an 
examination  is  desirable,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  important  and  imposing  monument 
will  never  meet  the  fate  which  Col.  Foster,  under  a  false  impression*  due  to  a  confusion 
of  names  and  places,  mourns  as  having  already  occurred. 

"McAdams  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  at  the  group  and  studied  the  largest 
mound  in  some  detail  which  he  describes  in  his  volume,  'Records  of  Ancient  Races  in  • 
the  Mississippi  Valley.     St.  Louis,  1887.'  " 

McAdams  gives  a  general  account  of  the  mounds  in  central  and 
southern  Illinois  in  his  book.  It  is  unfortunate  he  did  not  make 
more  complete  observations  as  his  opportunities  were  unexcelled. 
The  collections  made  by  him  are  somewhat  scattered,  yet  it  may  be 
possible,  through  some  research,  to  identify  considerable  of  the  ma- 
terial. 

His  observation  are: 

"The  form  of  the  Cahokia  Mound  is  a  parallelogram,  with  straight  sides,  the 
longer  of  which  are  north  and  south.  It  is  about  one  hundred  feet  in  height. 

"On  the  southern  end,  some  30  feet  above  the  base,  is  a  terrace  or  apron,  con- 
taining near  two  acres  of  ground. 

"On  the  western  side,  and  some  thirty  feet  above  the  first  terrace,  is  a  second 
one  of  so.newhat  less  extent. 

"The  top  of  the  mound  is  flat  and  divided  into  two  parts,  the  northern  end  being 
some  4  or  5  feet  higher  than  the  southern  portion.  The  summit  contains  about  an 
acre  and  a  half.** 

"  Near  the  middle  of  the  first  terrace,  at  the  base  of  the  mound,  is  a  projecting 
point,  apparently  the  remains  of  a  graded  pathway  to  ascend  from  the  plain  to  the 
terrace.  The  west  side  of  the  mound  below  the  second  terrace  is  very  irregular,  and 

*The  destruction  of  "Big  Mound"  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  within  the 
city  limits  of  St.  Louis,  probably  led  Col.  Foster  into  error. 

**See  Plate  IV,  Figs.  5  and  6,  from  Putnam's  report,  previously  quoted. 


1 6  THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

forms  projecting  knobs,  separated  by  deep  ravines,  probably  the  result  of  rain-storms; 
to  the  northwest  corner  of  the  base  of  the  structure  there  seems  to  be  a  small  mound 
attached,  in  exact  imitation  of  the  small  mounds  attached  to  the  base  of  the  pryamids 
of  Egypt  as  well  as  those  of  Mexico. 

"The  remaining  sides  of  the  structure  are  quite  straight  and  but  little  defaced 
by  the  hand  of  time. 

"About  the  sides  of  the  mound  are  still  growing  several  forest  trees,  one  of  which 
is  an  elm  several  centuries  old. 

"As  the  size  of  the  Cahokia  Mound  has  been  given  variously  we  applied  to  Mr. 
B.  J.  VanCourt,  a  practical  surveyor  living  in  the  vicinity,  at  O'Fallen,  and  whom  we 
knew  had  made  a  regular  survey  of  the  mound.  Mr.  VanCourt  sent  us  the  following: 

"  'In  my  survey  I  did  not  follow  the  irregularities  of  the  mound,  but  made 
straight  lines  enclosing  the  base.  The  largest  axis  is  from  north  to  south  and  is  998 
feet,  the  shortest  from  east  to  west  is  721  feet.  The  height  of  the  mound  is  99  feet. 
The  base  of  the  structure  covers  16  acres,  2  roods  and  3  perches  of  ground.' 

"The  summit  and  lower  terrace  of  the  Cahokia  Mound  has  been  plowed  a  few 
times.  Brackenridge  who  visited  the  mound  in  1811,  says  that  the  monks  used  the 
lower  terrace  for  a  kitchen  garden,  and  also  had  the  summit  of  the  structure  sown  in 
wheat.  The  great  pyramid  has  not  been  materially  changed,  however,  and  doubtless 
presents  the  same  outlines  to-day  as  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  this  continent  by 
Columbus. 

"Since  some  doubts  have  been  expressed  as  to  the  artificial  origin  of  this  struc- 
ture we  were  much  interested  to  ascertain  what  could  be  learned  in  this  respect  by 
examination.  On  the  top  of  the  pyramid  are  the  remains  of  a  house,  said  to  have  been 
commenced  by  the  monks,  but  afterwards  added  to  and  finished  as  a  comfortable 
residence  for  the  family  of  a  man  named  Hill,  an  enterprising  settler  who  owned  the 
mound  and  a  large  body  of  land  adjoining.  Beneath  this  house  is  a  deep  unwalled 
cellar.  A  section  down  the  side  of  the  cellar  to  the  depth  of  ten  feet  is  very  plainly 
revealed  a  deposit  of  various  kinds  of  earth  without  stratification.  The  principal  part 
of  this  deposit  was  the  black  humus  or  mould,  so  common  in  the  bottom  and  forming 
the  principal  soil,  very  sticky  when  wet  and  breaking  into  cubical  blocks  when  dry. 
Here  and  there,  as  if  thrown  promiscuously  among  the  black  mould,  is  a  bunch  of 
yellow  clay,  or  sand,  or  marly  loess,  these  bunches  being  about  such  size  as  a  man 
could  easily  carry. 

"Similar  sections  can  be  seen  up  the  old  road  made  by  Hill  to  ascend  to  his 
residence. 

"On  thfi  second  terrace  is  a  well  (He  republishes  Flagg's  account  of  it). 

"About  midway,  on  the  north  side,  or  face  of  the  pyramid,  and  elevated  25  or 
30  feet  above  the  base,  in  a  small  depression,  stands  a  pine  tree,  singularly  enough, 
since  this  tree  is  not  found  in  the  forests  in  this  locality.  There  was  a  story  rife  among 
the  early  settlers  that  this  tree  stood  at  the  mouth  of  an  opening  or  gallery  into  the 
interior  of  the  mounds.  To  ascertain  the  truth  of  this  matter,  Mr.  Thomas  Ramey, 
the  present  owner  of  the  mound,  commenced  a  tunnel  at  this  tree  and  excavated  about 
ninety  (90)  feet  towards  the  centre  of  the  mound.  When  fifteen  feet  from  the  en- 
trance to  the  tunnel  a  piece  of  lead  ore  was  discovered,  but  no  other  object  of  interest 
was  found.  The  deposits  penetrated  by  the  tunnel  are  very  plainly  shown  to  be  the 
same  as  seen  in  the  cellar  mentioned  above." 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MOUNDS  17 

Mr.  Bushnell,  as  previously  stated,  gives  us  our  best  account  of 
the  group.  His  measurements  of  Monks  Mound  are  north  and 
south,  i, 080  ft.,  east  and  west  710  ft.,  with  a  height  of  100  ft.  The 
Ramey  family  tells  me  that  they  have  understood  the  height  to  be 
104  ft.  The  differences  in  the  dimensions  are  easily  explainable. 
There  is  a  long  or  gentle  slope  or  "feather"  edge  at  the  base  of  the 
mound,  on  all  sides.  One  observer  might  differ  30  to  50  ft.  from 
another  investigator  as  to  where  the  mound  actually  began.  A  new 
survey  of  the  entire  group  is  scarcely  necessary,  but  it  would  be  well 
to  remeasure  Monks  Mound. 

A  question  arose  some  years  ago  with  reference  to  whether 
Monks  mound  was  built  by  man  or  a  natural  formation.  None  of 
the  archeologists  ever  doubted  the  artificiality  of  the  large  mound, 
but  the  statement  that  it  might  be  natural  seems  to  have  affected 
the  legislature  and  that  was  one  of  the  reasons  why  the  bill  to  make 
a  state  park  at  Cahokia  failed  of  passage.  The  evidences  of  Hill's 
well,  previously  cited,  and  Ramey  tunnel,  together  with  the  presence 
of  pottery  fragments  and  bones  which  were  apparent  last  fall  in  the 
gulley  six  or  eight  ft.  in  depth  in  the  lower  terrace,  are  sufficient  to 
prove  that  the  mound  is  the  work  of  human  hands.  The  brief 
statement  that  broken  pottery  was  found  at  the  depth  of  60  or  65 
ft.  is  significant. 

Some  light  is  shed  on  this  question  by  another  observer  who 
talked  with  the  first  owner  nearly  eighty  years  ago: 

"At  this  time  it  is  the  possession  of  the  mechanic  named  Hill,  who  has  built  a 
home  at  the  top,  around  which  we  saw  abundance  of  Indian  corn,  pumpkins,  tomatoes, 
etc.,  for  the  soil  of  which  it  consists  is  the  rich  black  mould  taken  from  the  surface 
below  which  is  extremely  fertile.  Mr.  Hill  laid  the  foundation  of  his  dwelling  upon 
an  eminence  he  found  on  the  summit  of  his  elevated  territory,  and  upon  digging  into 
it  found  large  human  bones,  with  Indian  pottery,  some  axes  and  tomahawks,  from 
whence  it  would  appear  that  this  mound  not  only  contained  a  sepulchret  at  its 
base,  but  has  been  used  for  the  same  purpose  in  aftertimes  at  the  summit."  * 

Until  the  mound  is  tunnelled  or  trenched,  one  can  not  draw 
positive  conclusions  as  to  the  purpose  of  construction,  but  it  is  my 
opinion  that  it  was  a  long  time  in  the  building  and  that  it  probably 
began  as  a  repository  for  the  dead.  That  is,  certain  burials  were 
made,  as  in  the  case  of  the  large  mound  of  the  Hopewell  group, 
Ohio,  and  other  small  mounds  added  as  burials  were  made.  Finally 

*Excursion  through  the  slave  States.  G.  W.  Featherstonehaugh,  F.  R.  S.  Lon- 
don, 1 844,  pp.  264  to  272. 


i8  THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

the  structure  became  so  large  that  the  natives  made  it  into  a  pyramid, 
added  the  upper  terraces  and  used  the  top  as  a  place  of  residence. 
This  is  mere  opinion  and  may  be  not  verified  by  exploration. 

THE  RAMEY  MOUND 

Across  the  state  highway,  a  little  southwest  from  the  ranking 
mound,  is  a  large  pyramid  over  27  ft.  in  height  on  the  summit  of 
which  is  the  residence  constructed  by  Mr.  Thomas  Ramey.  Instead 
of  numbering  this  mound,  we  gave  it  the  name  Ramey  Mound.  Mr. 
Bushnell  gives  the  elevation  as  25  ft.  dimensions  of  base  200x180  ft. 
We  did  not  measure  this  but  Mr.  Fred  Ramey  and  his  brother  ran 
lines  and  state  that  the  base  of  the  mound  is  425  feet  square.  On 
the  summit  it  is  250  feet  east  and  west  and  225  feet  north  and  south. 
Possibly  Mr.  Bushnell  refers  to  the  mound  just  west  of  the  Ramey 
residence  as  that  one  corresponds  more  nearly  with  his  measure- 
ments. Our  headquarters  were  in  the  farm  house  on  top  of  this 
structure.  We  looked  it  over  carefully  and  believe  that  the  mound 
covers  interments. 

The  personal  equation  is  a  large  factor  in  archeological  re- 
searches. It  will  be  impossible  to  give  the  reasons  why  we  believe 
the  Ramey  Mound  to  contain  many  burials.  It  is  merely  a  matter 
of  opinion.  It  certainly  should  be  explored. 

THE  KUNNEMANN  MOUND 

About  half  a  mile  directly  north  of  Monks  site,  on  the  land  of 
Mr.  George  Merrell  is  a  large  mound.  Mr.  Merrell's  tenant,  Mr. 
A.  Kunnemann  has  resided  on  the  tract  for  over  twenty-five  years 
and  we  named  the  structure  for  him.  Originally  the  tumulus  was 
about  400  feet  diameter  and  conical — not  a  pyramid  as  has  been 
recorded  qn  one  of  the  maps.  Twenty  years  ago  fifteen  to  sixteen 
feet  of  the  summit  was  removed  and  a  trench  run  in  from  the  north 
side  some  90  feet  in  order  that  earth  to  build  a  dyke  along  Canteen 
creek  might  be  obtained.  Thus  the  mound  had  been  seriously  dam- 
aged. We  wished  to  test  one  of  the  larger  structures,  and  as  this 
one  offered  unusual  facilities,  we  began  work  Sept.  i6th.  Witnesses 
present  during  the  previous  work  were  questioned  and  all  agreed 
that  the  mound  was  conical  or  "pointed"  as  Mr.  Kunnemann  ex- 
pressed it.  The  present  diameter  of  the  top  is  75  by  56  feet.  The 
sides  are  about  twenty-five  percent  slope.  Restoring  this  same 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MOUNDS  19 

ratio  of  slope  to  the  top  would  give  fifteen  to  sixteen  feet  more  ele- 
vation, as  stated.  We  found  the  base  near  the  center  to  be  thirty- 
five  feet  below  the  present  flattened  summit.  Therefore,  the  tumu- 
lus was  originally  not  below  50,  or  more  than  51  feet  in  altitude. 
This  would  make  it  the  third  mound  of  the  whole  group  in  height, 
but  not  in  cubic  contents. 

Some  two  weeks  were  spent  upon  Kunnemann's  Mound.  When 
we  stopped  work  we  were  near  the  center  and  had  excavated  some 
80  feet  beyond  the  point  reached  by  the  dyke  builders  (Figs,  n, 
12).  No  skeletons  were  discovered,  but  in  the  earth  were  great 
quantities  of  flint  chips,  broken  pottery,  animal  bones  and  other  re- 
fuse scooped  up  by  the  natives  when  they  took  the  earth  from  about 
their  cabins  to  build  the  mound. 

As  we  had  before  us  a  nearly  straight  wall  thirty-five  feet  in 
height,  we  were  able  to  study  the  mound  construction. 

It  was  found  that  the  mound  (that  is,  the  portion  we  excavated) 
rested  upon  a  heavy  layer  of  clear  sand.  Test  pits  sunk  in  this  sand 
indicated  that  it  was  natural,  had  not  been  deposited  by  man.  The 
lowest  part  of  the  mound  is  ordinary  mixed  earth  and  not  stratified. 
About  eight  feet  above  the  sand,  or  base,  is  dark  earth  in  which  are 
many  broken  artifacts.  Above  this,  some  five  or  six  feet  of  yellow- 
ish loam,  then  a  rather  distinct  decayed  vegetation  layer  running 
across  the  face  of  our  fifty  foot  trench.  This  is  rather  thin  and 
even;  then  several  feet  of  darker  soil,  but  not  gumbo,  and  above 
this  the  heaviest  layer  of  decayed  vegetation,  in  some  spots  about 
half  an  inch  in  thickness.  Yellow  loam  containing  some  sand  extends 
fully  ten  feet  above.  In  this  and  the  layer  below,  the  "dumps"  or 
basketfuls  of  earth  are  noted.  That  is,  natives  carried  the  earth  in 
loads  varying  from  a  trifle  over  a  peck  to  a  half  bushel  or  more. 
Just  below  the  summit  is  a  four  to  five  feet  layer  of  heavy,  compact 
gumbo  'Tig.  2). 

All  these  lines  and  strata  are  more  or  less  even,  that  is  level, 
indicating  that  the  people  did  not  first  build  a  small  conical  mound 
and  gradually  increase  the  size.  Apparently,  they  decided  to  con- 
struct a  large  tumulus,  built  up  layers  of  somewhat  different  soil, 
and  placed  the  heavy  gumbo  some  distance  from  the  apex. 

After  the  work  had  progressed  some  days  and  when  we  were 
at  a  point  north  of  the  center,  and  where  the  mound  was  originally 
about  forty-one  feet  high,  we  found  a  heavy  layer  of  burned  earth. 


2O THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

This  was  almost  floor-like  in  character.  It  was  followed  for  a  dis- 
tance of  thirty-five  feet  east  and  west,  but  was  considerably  nar- 
rower north  and  south.  In  the  northern  edge  of  this  floor,  eighteen 
feet  above  the  base  and  eight  feet  below  the  present  summit,  we 
uncovered  a  circular,  altar-like  burned  basin.  It  is  shown  in  Fig.  13. 
Half  of  this  had  been  broken  off,  whether  by  the  Indians  or  the  dyke 
builders,  we  do  not  know.  The  latter  state  that  they  observed  no 
burned  basin.  It  was  empty,  but  consisted  of  ordinary  clay,  hard 
burned.  It  was  about  a  yard  in  diameter,  ten  or  twelve  inches  deep 
and  surrounded  by  a  well  defined,  broad  rim  somewhat  elevated. 
Extending  in  all  directions  beyond  (save  north)  was  the  level,  burned 
floor  referred  to.  Why  this  altar  should  be  nearly  half-way  above 
the  base,  we  are  unable  to  state.  All  the  Ohio  mound  altars  lie 
upon  the  base  line. 

When  we  had  dug  to  near  the  center  of  the  mound  we  observed 
a  burned  area  extending  most  of  the  distance  across  the  face  of  our 
wall.  It  was  sometimes  nearly  two  feet  thick.  There  was  also  a 
light  sand  stratum,  some  twenty  feet  above  the  base  line,  which  ex- 
tended some  thirty-eight  feet  east  and  west. 

Near  the  center  and  twenty-seven  feet  from  the  base,  Mr. 
Eldridge  found  the  head  of  a  frog  effigy  pipe  and  numerous  frag- 
ments of  fine  pottery.  Various  large,  flat  shell  beads  were  also  dis- 
covered from  time  to  time.  Pottery  fragments  were  secured  by  the 
hundreds. 

Why  no  burials  were  found  in  the  north  half  of  Kunnemann's 
Mound,  we  do  not  know.  Possibly  they  will  be  found  in  the  south- 
ern or  eastern  portions  of  the  structure.  The  mound  should  be 
completed,  but  as  stated  on  page  8,  we  did  not  feel  justified  in  con- 
tinuing operations.  Some  fragments  of  human  bones  were  mingled 
with  the  village-site  debris,  but  they  were  not  burials. 

SMITH'S  MOUND 

It  lies  just  back  of  Mr.  Smith's  hotel,  a  quarter  mile  east  of 
Monks  Mound.  This  is  a  pyramid  with  flattened  summit.  On 
the  east  side  is  an  extensive  platform,  or  elevation.  While  this 
to  one's  eye  does  not  appear  to  be  over  five  feet  in  altitude,  yet  on 
examination  we  found  that  burnt  stone,  pottery  sherds  and  refuse 
extended  to  a  depth  of  over  seven  feet.  There  was  also  a  layer  of 
burnt  ear  that  that  depth.  Rising  about  80  ft.  above  the  platform 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MOUNDS  21 

is  the  long  pyramid  owned  by  Mr.  Smith  and  whose  name  we  gave 
to  it.  The  southern  edge  has  been  much  disturbed,  and  measure- 
ments were  not  made  by  us.  Mr.  Smith  kindly  agreed  to  the  re- 
moval of  a  large  dance-pavilion  located  on  the  summit  in  order  that 
we  might  run  an  80  ft.  trench  through.  We  decided  to  wait  un- 
til some  future  time,  but  we  did  make  two  large  excavations  in 
the  platform. 

No  one  seems  to  have  excavated  a  terrace,  or  "apron"  leading 
up  to  one  of  the  larger  mounds.  This  apron  is  1 1 5  ft.  E.  and  W.  x 
1 10  ft.  N.  and  S.  in  extent  and  about  5  ft.  high.  The  field  notes  are 
herewith  condensed  as  follows: 

Oct.  3rd,  1921.  Began  a  long  trench  at  the  extreme  eastern  end 
of  Smith's  platform.  Ran  due  west,  keeping  on  the  base  line. 
This  trench  extended  fifty-five  feet.  Fourteen  men  completed  the 
trench  in  two  days.  After  proceeding  west  for  35  ft.  we  sank  a  test 
pit  10  ft.  5  in.  deep.  Disturbed  earth,  charcoal  and  small  pottery 
sherds  were  found  at  7  ft.  3  ins.  depth.  At  the  55  ft.  stake  another 
10  ft.  deep  pit  was  excavated  and  the  bottom  of  disturbed  area 
reached  at  7  ft.  8  ins.  Pottery  and  animal  bones  found.  During 
the  course  of  excavation  half  a  bushel  of  broken  artifacts  were  found, 
some  of  the  pottery  being  of  superior  workmanship.  What  was 
more  interesting,  we  discovered  lumps  of  burnt  clay  containing  im- 
pressions of  the  reeds  or  rushes  of  which  the  cabins  were  built. 

Nearer  the  base  of  Smith's  pyramid  by  means  of  team  and 
scraper  we  excavated  a  pit  some  thirty  feet  long  and  eight  feet  deep. 
The  same  formation  noted  in  the  hand-dug  trench  was  apparent. 
This  was  a  hard  burned  layer,  or  floor,  near  the  base  line. 

Dr.  Higgins  dug  a  small  mushroom  cellar  in  the  north  end  of 
Smith's  Mound.  He  secured  a  number  of  artifacts.  Whether  it  is 
a  burial  structure  or  merely  for  houses  or  ceremonial  lodges,  can  not 
be  determined  until  a  wide  trench  is  carried  through  the  structure. 

THE  EDWARDS'  MOUNDS 

About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  directly  east  from  Smith's  Mound  are 
four  small  tumuli  north  of  the  Collinsville  road  and  on  the  land  of 
Mr.  Edwards.  The  largest  of  these  is  not  over  9  ft.  in  height.  We 
explored  the  two  mounds  lying  about  half  way  between  the  turnpike 
and  Canteen  creek.  In  the  one  to  the  west  was  found  the  skeleton 
shown  in  Fig.  14.  This  was  at  a  depth  of  4  ft.  and  was  extended  and 
all  the  bones  present  and  in  position.  There  were  some  flint  chips 


22  THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

and  two  or  three  flint  knives  near  the  head,  also  some  large  fragments 
of  broken  pottery.  The  base  of  the  mound  was  about  a  foot  below 
the  present  surface.  A  trench  some  60  ft.  in  length  and  20  ft.  wide 
was  run  through  the  structure.  The  soil  was  filled  with  broken 
pottery. 

East  of  this,  distant  about  400  ft.  is  another  mound  about  7  ft.  in 
height.  We  dug  a  trench  through  the  center  and  sunk  eight  or  ten 
test  pits,  finding  no  burials  but  discovered  scales  of  copper  on  the  base 
line.  About  one-third  of  this  mound  remains  to  be  explored  next 
year. 

THE  JESSE  RAMEY  MOUND 

This  is  about  20  ft.  in  height  at  the  present  time,  the  base  dia- 
meter some  300  ft.  It  is  the  second  mound  directly  south  of  Monks. 
It  is  not  quite  clear  whether  this  was  originally  an  oblong  mound  or 
of  the  pyramid  type  since  it  has  been  cultivated  for  many  years. 
Some  twenty-five  men  were  employed  in  the  work  and  a  trench  65 
ft.  in  length  was  extended  from  near  the  base  on  the  south  side  to  a 
line  some  distance  from  the  center.  This  trench  was  excavated  to 
an  average  depth  of  10  ft.  Then  test  pits  were  sunk  and  post  augers 
used.  Five  or  6  ft.  farther  down  (a  total  depth  of  14  to  1 6  ft.)  we 
came  upon  rather  soft,  dark  earth  quite  different  from  the  clay  and 
gumbo  of  which  most  of  the  mounds  were  composed.  It  resembled 
the  earth  found  about  burials  in  the  several  mounds  of  the  Hopewell 
group.  There  were  a  few  scales  of  copper,  and  some  fragments  of 
highly  finished  pottery.  The  pottery  was  above  the  average  found 
on  the  surface  or  in  the  village  site.  That  is,  the  fragments  recovered 
indicate  the  finer  pottery  such  as  accompanies  burials. 

This  mound  was  trenched  late  in  October  and  being  the  end  of 
our  season  we  filled  the  excavation.     While  it  can  not  be  confidently 
confirmed,  yet  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  author  that  the  Jesse  Ramey 
Mound  is  .a  burial  structure  and  should  be  thoroughly  explored. 
OTHER  MOUNDS  TESTED 

Between  the  Pennsylvania  and  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad 
tracks  is  a  little  triangle  of  land  over  which  there  was  a  dispute  as  to 
ownership.  Mr.  Cole  now  owns  it.  Here  was  a  large  mound  of 
which  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  construction  crew  removed  two-thirds. 
A  stone  pipe,  said  to  represent  an  eagle  and  some  20  inches  in  length, 
was  found  in  this  mound,  in  the  late  50*5.  We  dug  eight  or  ten  test 
pits  in  the  structure  but  found  very  little.  We  do  not  recommend 
exploration. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MOUNDS  23 

On  the  south  side  of  the  Collinsville  road  are  the  lands  of  Mr. 
Tippett,  Mr.  Cole,  and  Mr.  Wells.  Two  mounds  were  tested  super- 
ficially. Both  are  composed  of  gumbo  and  while  there  was  much 
broken  pottery,  no  burials  were  encountered. 

CONCLUSIONS  ON  THE  EXCAVATIONS 

Although  we  employed  a  very  large  crew,  we  were  a  short  time 
at  Cahokia.  The  area  of  Indian  occupation  covers  at  least  1,000 
acres.  It  will  therefore  be  observed  that  it  would  be  impossible 
for  any  corps  of  explorers  to  do  work  which  might  be  considered  thor- 
ough in  less  than  five  or  six  seasons.  It  is  the  writer's  opinion  that 
about  ten  years  are  necessary  to  a  thorough  understanding  of  the 
Cahokia  culture. 

Our  purpose  was  to  test  some  of  the  mounds  both  large  and 
small  and  first  learn  the  construction  and  also  ascertain  whether 
burials  were  general  in  the  mounds.  With  the  exception  of  the 
smaller  Edwards  Mound,  none  of  them  were  thoroughly  explored  by 
us.  Technically,  we  can  not  affirm  that  the  others  are  not  burial 
mounds,  since  they  were  not  dug  out  entirely.  Briefly,  our  limited 
explorations  would  indicate  that  excepting  the  Jesse  Ramey  Mound, 
and  Kunnemann  Mound,  the  other  mounds  examined  were  house 
sites.  The  Kunnemann  Mound  is  more  or  less  of  a  mystery  since 
being  cone  shape  there  would  not  be  room  for  more  than  one  very 
small  lodge  on  the  summit.  If  there  are  burials,  they  remain  in  the 
unexplored  two-thirds. 

Mr.  W.  J.  Seever,  who  was  present  during  McAdams'  excavations 
and  dug  somewhat  himself,  thinks  that  the  views  of  Putnam  and 
others  correct  to  the  effect  that  there  are  one  or  two  cemeteries  which 
have  not  been  found  and  that  these  are  in  addition  to  presumable 
burials  in  the  larger  mounds.  We  hope  to  do  more  thorough  work 
in  the  seasons  of  1922  and  1923.  It  is  proposed  to  put  several  men 
testing  the  plain  in  various  directions  for  the  cemetery  and  concen- 
trate another  body  of  workers  either  on  Smith's  Mound  or  one  of  the 
flat  pyramids  to  the  west  or  south  of  Monks. 

The  excavations  indicate  that  the  village  was  well  established 
and  populous  at  the  time  the  mounds  were  constructed.     This  is 
proved  by  the  great  quantities  of  broken  artifacts,  which  lay  about 
the  ground  near  the  houses  and  were  scooped  up  with  the  earth. 
EXPLORATION  OF  THE  VILLAGE  SITE 

About  600  ft.  north-east  of  Monks  Mound,  McAdams  is  said  to 
have  found  the  pottery  and  skeletons.  Both  of  his  sons,  as  well  as 
Mr.  Seever  and  one  or  two  other  witnesses,  visited  the  scene  of  our 


24 THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

operations  and  indicated  where  Mr.  McAdams  had  dug.  On  page 
57  of  his  volume  he  says  that  he  secured  100  urns,  pots  or  bottles 
from  the  cemetery  near  the  base  of  Monks  Mound.  Some  of  these 
were  painted.  In  plates  i  and  2  in  his  pamphlet  entitled  "Antiqui- 
ties of  Cahokia  or  Monk's  Mound"  (Edwardsville,  1883)  he  illus- 
trates a  number  of  these  and  other  objects  from  the  Cahokia  village 
site. 

He  says  "there  were  also  the  paint  pots  and  dishes  holding  the 
colors,  together  with  the  little  bone  paddle  for  mixing,  and  other  im- 
plements of  the  aboriginal  artist."  It  is  unfortunate  that  such  an 
exhibit  could  not  have  been  kept  intact  and  preserved  in  the  State 
Museum. 

For  a  number  of  days  we  excavated  at  the  McAdams  site  and 
also  for  a  radius  of  300  yds.  east  and  north-east.  Some  of  the 
trenches  were  50  ft.  in  length.  Broken  human  skeletons  were  found 
scattered  here  and  there,  probably  where  Mr.  McAdams  had  made 
finds.  We  discovered  one  flex  burial  accompanied  by  half  of  a  bowl. 
There  was  another  partial  burial  a  few  feet  to  the  west.  The  ground 
about  it  was  much  disturbed.  Above  both  burials  was  a  layer  of 
hard  baked,  red  earth  some  i  ft.  from  the  surface.  The  disturbed 
earth  extended  from  3  to  as  much  as  5  ft.  in  depth.  During  the 
course  of  operations  in  the  village  site,  numbers  of  fragments  of 
galena,  portions  of  Busycon  shells,  arrowheads,  hammerstones  and 
other  material  in  common  use  among  the  Indians  were  discovered. 

When  excavating  by  means  of  test  pits,  with  a  view  of  studying 
the  character  and  extent  of  the  village  site,  we  found  a  number  of 
level,  clay  burned  floors  varying  from  20  to  30  ft.  in  diameter.  Three 
or  four  of  these  had  been  disturbed  by  the  plow,  others  somewhat 
deeper  were  well  preserved.  One  near  the  shore  of  the  lake,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  Monks  Mound,  was  composed  of  ordinary 
clay,  burned  quite  hard  and  some  20x25  ft.  in  diameter.  Whether 
these  are  tne  floors  of  wigwams  or  houses,  we  do  not  know.  They 
seem  rather  small  for  dance  floors  or  assembly  places.  There  may 
be  many  more  of  them  revealed  by  future  explorations.  No  more 
refuse  occurred  on  these  floors  than  elsewhere  on  the  village  site. 

Just  north  of  Smith's  Mound  are  three  mounds  which  have  been 
cultivated  until  the  edges  overlap.  About  the  bases  of  these  the 
village  site  material  seems  to  be  most  numerous.  We  are  of  the 
opinion  that  this  part  of  the  site  should  be  quite  thoroughly  ex- 
amined, since  we  dug  up  several  pottery  heads  of  birds,  etc.  all  of 
exceptional  form  and  finish. 


UTENSILS  AND  IMPLEMENTS  FROM  CAHOKIA 

It  will  be  necessary  to  visit  several  museums  and  also  inspect 
some  of  the  larger  private  collections  within  one-hundred  miles  of 
Cahokia  in  order  to  make  studies  and  comparisons  of  the  various 
artifacts  found  at  this  famous  place.  This  will  require  considerable 
time  but  it  will  be  possible  to  identify  a  great  deal  of  Cahokia  ma- 
terial. From  the  collection  in  the  Missouri  Historical  Society  and 
the  large  exhibits  owned  by  E.  W.  Payne,  Esq.,  of  Springfield,  Doc- 
tor H.  M.  Whelpley,  and  Doctor  George  B.  Higgins  of  St.  Louis,  the 
Ramey  heirs,  William  Waters,  Esq.,  of  Godfrey,  Illinois,  and  one 
or  two  persons  in  Edwardsville,  an  idea  of  prevailing  Cahokia 
forms  may  be  obtained.  These  were  inspected  by  the  writer  some- 
what superficially,  yet  it  can  be  stated  that  there  are  in  the  chipped 
implements  (if  not  in  the  ceramic  art)  what  might  be  called  the 
Cahokia  types.  That  is,  the  Cahokia  people  lived  for  such  a  length 
of  time  that  they  established  their  own  localized  art.  The  details 
of  this  can  be  worked  out  later  when  all  collections  are  more  care- 
fully studied. 

On  the  objects  or  artifacts  themselves  I  find  little  or  nothing 
has  been  published  save  by  Doctor  Charles  Rau,  formerly  Curator 
in  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  He  presented  a  study  on  pottery 
and  other  observations  on  agricultural  flint  implements  in  the  Smith- 
sonian reports.  The  descriptions  follow  herewith. 

"  That  the  fabrication  of  earthenware  was  once  carried  to  a  great  extent  among 
the  Indians,  is  shown  by  the  great  number  of  sherds  which  lie  scattered  over  the  sites 
of  their  former  villages  and  on  their  camping  places;  but  they  are,  perhaps,  nowhere 
in  this  country  more  numerous  than  in  the  "American  Bottom,"  a  strip  of  land  which 
extends  about  one  hundred  miles  along  the  Mississippi,  in  Illinois,  and  is  bounded  by 
the  present  bank  of  that  river  and  its  former  eastern  confine,  indicated  by  a  range  of 
picturesque  wooded  hills  and  ridges,  commonly  called  the  "Bluffs."  This  bottom, 
which  is  °n  an  average  six  miles  wide  and  very  fertile,  was  formerly  the  seat  of  a 
numerous  indigenous  population,  and  abounds  in  tumular  works,  cemeteries,  and  other 
memorials  of  the  subdued  race.  Among  the  lesser  relics  left  by  the  former  occupants 
may  be  counted  the  remnants  of  broken  vessels,  which  occur  very  abundantly  in  vari- 
ous places  of  this  region.  These  fragments  are,  however,  mostly  small;  and,  according 
to  my  experience,  entire  vessels  are  not  found  on  the  surface,  but  frequently  in  the 
ancient  mounds  and  cemeteries,  where  they  have  been  deposited  with  the  dead  as 
receptacles  for  food,  to  serve  on  their  journey  to  the  happy  land  of  spirits. 

"About  six  years  ago,  while  living  in  the  west,  I  was  much  gratified  by  the  dis- 
covery of  a  place  in  the  American  Bottom  where  the  manufacture  of  earthenware  was 
evidently  carried  on  by  the  Indians.  The  locality  to  which  I  allude  is  the  left  bank 


26  THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

of  the  Cahokia  creek,*  at  the  northern  extremity  of  Illinoistown,  opposite  St.  Louis. 
At  the  point  just  mentioned  the  bank  of  the  creek  is  somewhat  high  and  steep,  leaving 
only  a  small  space  for  a  path  along  the  water.  When  I  passed  there  for  the  first  time, 
I  noticed,  scattered  over  the  slope  or  protruding  from  the  ground,  a  great  many  pieces 
of  pottery  of  much  larger  size  than  I  had  ever  seen  before,  some  being  of  the  size  of  a 
man's  hand,  and  others  considerable^  larger;  and,  upon  examination,  I  found  that  they 
consisted  of  a  grayish  clay  mixed  with  pounded  shells.  A  great  number  of  old  shells 
of  the  unto,  a  bivalve  which  inhabits  the  creek,  were  lying  about,  and  their  position 
induced  me  to  believe  that  they  had  been  brought  there  by  human  agency  rather 
than  by  the  overflowing  of  the  creek.  My  curiosity  being  excited,  I  continued  my 
investigation,  and  discovered  at  the  upper  part  of  the  bank  an  old  fosse,  or  digging, 
of  some  length  and  depth,  and  overgrown  with  stramonium  or  jimson  weed;  and  upon 
entering  this  excavation,  I  saw  near  its  bottom  a  layer  of  clay,  identical  in  appearance 
with  that  which  composed  the  fragments  of  pottery.  The  excavation  had  unmistak- 
ably been  dug  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  clay,  and  I  became  now  convinced 
beyond  doubt  that  the  fabrication  of  earthen  vessels  had  been  carried  on  by  the 
aborigines  at  this  very  spot.  All  the  requisites  for  manufacturing  vessels  were  on 
hand;  the  layer  of  clay  furnished  the  chief  ingredient,  and  the  creek  not  only  supplied 
the  water  for  moistening  the  clay,  but  harbored  also  the  mollusks  whose  valves  were 
used  in  tempering  it.  Wood  abounded  in  the  neighborhood.  All  these  facts  being 
ascertained,  it  was  easy  to  account  for  the  occurrence  of  the  large  fragments.  When- 
ever  pottery  is  made,  some  of  the  articles  will  crack  during  the  process  of  burning,  and 
this  will  happen  more  frequently  when  the  method  employed  in  that  operation  is  of  a 
rude  and  primitive  character,  as  it  doubtless  was  in  the  present  case.  The  sherds 
found  at  this  place  may,  therefore,  with  safety  be  considered  as  the  remnants  of 
vessels  that  were  spoiled  while  in  the  fire,  and  thrown  aside  as  objects  unfit  for  use. 

"I  did  not  succeed  in  finding  the  traces  of  a  kiln  or  fireplace,  and  it  is"  probable 
that  the  vessels  were  merely  baked  in  an  open  fire,  of  which  all  vestiges  have  been 
swept  away  long  ago.  The  occurrence  of  the  broken  pottery  was  confined  to  a  com- 
paratively small  area  along  the  bank,  a  space  not  exceeding  fifty  paces  in  length,  as 
far  as  I  can  recollect.  They  were  most  numerous  in  the  proximity  of  the  old  digging, 
and  at  that  place  quite  a  number  of  them  were  taken  out  of  the  creek  into  which  they 
had  fallen  from  the  bank.  Farther  up  the  creek  I  saw  another  excavation  in  the  bank, 
of  much  smaller  dimensions,  and  likewise  dug  for  obtaining  clay.  Among  the  shells 
and  sherds  I  noticed  many  flints  which  had  obviously  been  fashioned  to  serve  as  cut- 
ting implements;  they  were  perhaps,  used  in  tracing  the  ornamental  lines  on  the  vessels 
or  in  smoothing  their  surfaces. 

"I  did  not  find  a  single  complete  vessel  at  this  place,  but  a  great  variety  of 
fragments,  the  shape  of  which  enabled  me  to  determine  the  outline  of  the  utensils  of 
which  they  originally  formed  parts.  This  was  not  a  very  difficult  matter,  especially 
in  cases  when  portions  of  the  rim  remained.  The  rim,  it  will  be  seen,  is  formed  into 
a  lip  and  turned  over,  in  order  to  facilitate  suspension;  sometimes,  however,  it  is  cut 
off  abruptly.  Some  of  the  vessels — more  especially  the  smaller  ones — were  provided 
with  ears,  others  had  the  outer  rim  set  with  conical  projections  or  studs,  both  for 

*This  creek  runs  in  a  southwardly  direction  through  Madison  county  and  a 
part  of  St.  Clair  county,  and  empties  into  the  Mississippi,  four  miles  below  St.  Louis, 
near  the  old  French  village  of  Cahokia. 


UTENSILS  AND  IMPLEMENTS  FROM  CAHOKIA  27 

convenience  and  ornament;  and  a  few  of  the  fragments  exhibit  very  neatly  indented  or 
notched  rims.  In  size  these  vessels  varied  considerably;  some  measured  only  a  few 
inches  through  the  middle,  while  the  largest  ones,  to  judge  from  the  curvature  of  the 
rims,  must  have  exceeded  two  feet  in  diameter.  The  bottom  of  the  vessels  mostly  seems 
to  have  been  rounded  or  convex.  I  found  not  a  single  flat  bottom-piece.  This,  how- 
ever, may  be  merely  accidental,  considering  that  flat-bottomed  vessels  were  made  by 
the  Indians.  The  appearance  of  the  fragments  indicates  that  the  earthenware  was 
originally  tolerably  well  burned,  and  the  fracture  exhibits  in  many  instances  a  reddish 
color.  But,  as  the  art  of  glazing  was  unknown  to  the  manufacturers,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  the  sherds,  after  having  been  imbedded  for  many  years  in  the  humid  ground,  or 
exposed  to  rain  and  the  alternate  action  of  a  burning  sun  and  a  severe  cold,  are  now 
somewhat  brittle  and  fragile;  yet,  even  when  new,  this  aboriginal  earthenware  must 
have  been  much  inferior  in  compactness  and  hardness  to  the  ordinary  kind  of  European 
or  American  crockery. 

"The  thickness  of  the  fragments  varies  from  one-eighth  to  three-eighths  of  an 
inch,  according  to  the  size  of  the  vessels,  the  largest  being  also  the  strongest  in  ma- 
terial. But  in  each  piece  the  thickness  is  uniform  in  a  remarkable  degree;  the  rims 
are  perfectly  circular,  and  the  general  regularity  displayed  in  the  workmanship  of 
these  vessels  renders  it  almost  difficult  to  believe  that  the  manufacturers  were  un- 
acquainted with  the  use  of  the  potter's  wheel.  Such,  however,  was  the  case.  I  have 
already  mentioned  that  the  clay  used  in  the  fabrication  of  this  earthenware  is  mixed 
with  coarsely  pulverized  unio-shells  from  the  creek;  only  a  few  of  the  smaller  bowls 
or  vases  seem  to  consist  of  pure  clay.  The  vessels  were  covered  on  the  outside,  and 
some  even  on  both  sides,  with  a  thick  coating  of  paint,  either  of  a  black,  dark  brown, 
or  beautiful  red  color,  and  in  some  fragments  the  latter  still  retains  its  original  bright- 
ness. Only  one  color,  however,  was  used  in  the  painting  of  each  article.  It  is  evident 
that  the  coloring  preceded  the  process  of  baking,  and  the  surfaces  thus  coated  are  smooth 
and  shining,  the  paint  replacing  to  a  certain  extent  the  enamel  produced  by  glazing."* 

Doctor  Rau  comments  as  follows  on  "A  deposit  of  Agricultural 
Flint  Implements  in  Southern  Illinois:" 

"I  was,  therefore,  much  interested  in  the  recent  discovery  of  a  large  deposit  of 
such  implements  at  East  St.  Louis,  (formerly  Illinoistown),  in  St.  Clair  county,  Illi- 
nois, a  place  situated  directly  opposite  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  in  the  so-called  "American 
Bottom,"  which  forms  a  fertile  plain  extending  for  a  considerable  distance  along  the 
Mississippi  shore  in  Illinois.  This  region,  I  must  state,  is  very  rich  in  Indian  remains 
of  various  descriptions,**but  particularly  interesting  on  account  of  numerous  artificial 
mounds,  among  which  the  celebrated  truncated  pyramid  called  Cahokia  Mound,  or 
Monk's  Mound,  is  by  far  the  most  conspicuous,  reminding  the  beholder  of  those  gi- 
gantic structures  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  which  the  rulers  of  Egypt  have  left  to 
posterity  as  tokens  of  their  power  and  their  pride. 

"The  particulars  of  the  discovery  to  which  I  alluded  were  communicated  to  me 
by  Dr.  John  J.  R.  Patrick,  of  Belleville,  Illinois,  a  gentleman  to  whom  I  am  greatly 
indebted  for  long-continued  co-operation  in  my  pursuits  relative  to  the  subject  of 

*I  possess  a  small  food  vase  of  this  shape,  which  was  taken  out  of  an  old  Indian 
grave  on  the  "Bluffs,"  near  French  village,  six  or  seven  miles  east  of  Illinoistown. 
It  was,  perhaps,  made  at  the  very  place  which  I  have  described. 

**Smithsonian  Report,  1866,  pp.  346  to  350. 


28 THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

American  antiquities.  As  soon  as  Dr.  Patrick  heard  of  the  discovery  he  hastened  to 
East  St.  Louis,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  on  the  spot  all  details  concerning  the 
occurrence  of  those  flint  tools;  and  in  order  to  obtain  still  more  minute  information, 
he  afterwards  repeatedly  revisited  the  place  of  discovery  which  is  about  14  miles  dis- 
tant from  Belleville,  and  can  be  reached  after  a  short  ride,  the  latter  place  being  con- 
nected by  railroad  with  East  St.  Louis.  The  removal  of  ground  in  extending  a  street 
disclosed  the  existence  of  the  deposit,  and  Dr.  Patrick  derived  all  facts  concerning  it 
character  from  Mr.  Sullivan,  the  contractor  of  the  street  work,  who  was  present  when 
the  tools  were  exhumed,  and  therefore  can  be  considered  as  a  reliable  authority.  The 
results  of  my  informant's  inquiries,  communicated  in  various  letters  addressed  to  me, 
are  contained  in  the  following  account: 

"In  the  early  part  of  December,  1868,  some  laborers,  while  engaged  in  grading 
an  extension  of  Sixth  street  in  East  St.  Louis,  came  upon  a  deposit  of  Indian  relics, 
consisting  of  flint  tools,  all  of  the  hoe  and  shovel  type,  and  of  small  fossil  marine  shells, 
partly  pierced,  and  in  quantity  about  equal  to  the  contents  of  a  bushel.  Close  by 
were  found  several  boulders  of  flint  and  greenstone,  weighing  from  15  to  30  pounds 
each,  and  many  fragments  of  flint.  The  soil  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  is  com- 
posed of  black  loam,  overlying  a  stratum  of  a  sandy  character,  and  the  deposit  which 
occurred  in  the  latter,  was  covered  with  from  1 8  to  24  inches  of  the  black  earth,  bearing 
a  luxuriant  turf  on  its  surface.  According  to  the  contractor's  statement,  the  flint 
tools,  the  shells,  and  the  boulders  were  deposited  in  three  separate  holes  dug  out  in 
the  sand,  but  not  more  than  a  food  apart  from  each  other,  and  placed  like  the  corners 
of  a  triangle.  To  use  his  language,  the  implements  formed  a  "nest"  by  themselves, 
and  so  did  the  shells,  and  likewise  the  boulders.  The  flint  tools,  however,  instead  of 
being  packed  close  together,  like  the  shells  and  the  boulders,  were  arranged  with  some 
regularity,  overlapping  each  other  or  standing  edgewise,  and  covering  a  circular  space. 
The  whole  deposit  did  not  extend  more  than  seven  or  eight  feet  on  either  side.  The 
contractor  neglected  to  count  the  implements,  but  he  thinks  there  were  from  70  to  75 
in  all;  some  50  hoes  and  about  20  shovels.  No  other  stone  articles,  such  as  arrow  and 
spear-heads,  tomahawks,  etc.,  had  been  deposited  with  the  agricultural  implements. 
The  latter  were  soon  taken  away  by  persons  from  the  place,  attracted  by  the  novelty 
of  the  occurrence,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  many,  if  not  most  of  them,  have  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  individuals  who  are  unable  to  appreciate  their  value.  But  this  is 
usually  the  case  when  discoveries  of  similar  character  are  made.  Dr.  Patrick  ex- 
amined upwards  of  20  of  the  flint  implements,  and  found  that  none  of  them  had  been 
used,  as  they  had  not  received  the  slightest  polish  on  the  cutting  edge. 

"The  place  of  discovery  lies  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  or  still  further,  from  the 
Mississippi,  on  elevated  ground,  and  above  ordinary  high-water  mark;  but  formerly 
before  the  bed  of  the  river  was  narrowed  by  the  dike  connecting  the  Illinois  shore  with 
Bloody  Island,  the  distance  cannot  have  been  more  than  half  a  mile.  The  spot  is 
situated  nearly  midway  between  two  mounds,  half  a  mile  apart  from  each  other. 
One  of  them  was  formerly  used  as  a  graveyard  by  the  French  of  the  neighborhood, 
and  the  other  serves  as  the  substructure  for  a  dwelling-house. 

"Several  of  the  agricultural  implements  found  at  East  St.  Louis  are  now  in  my 
possession.  Their  material  is  a  yellowish-brown  variety  of  the  flint  to  which  I  al- 
ready referred.  In  shape  they  correspond  with  the  tools  of  the  same  class  previously 
described  by  me;  most  of  the  shovels,  however,  instead  of  having  the  end  opposite 


UTENSILS  AND  IMPLEMENTS  FROM  CAHOKIA  29 

the  cutting  part  worked  into  a  rounded  edge,  terminate  in  a  more  or  less  acute  angle. 
The  edges  of  all  are  chipped  with  the  utmost  regularity,  and  exhibit  not  the  slightest 
wear,  which  proves  that  the  implements  were  in  a  perfectly  new  condition  when 
buried  in  the  ground.* 

"The  fossil  shells  of  marine  origin  are  all  small  univalves,  and  belong  almost 
entirely  to  the  genus  Melampus.  Of  nearly  300  specimens  sent  to  me  by  Dr.  Patrick, 
19  only  represent  other  genera,  namely,  Columbella,  Marginella,  Conus,  and  Bulla. 
All  have  a  decayed  and  chalky  appearance.  They  were  probably  obtained  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  obviously  destined  for  ornamental  purposes.  This  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  fact  that  a  number  of  the  Melampus  shells  are  pierced  with  one  hole  in 
the  lower  part,  which  was  sufficient  for  stringing  them,  as  the  connecting  thread  could 
easily  be  passed  through  the  natural  aperture  of  the  shell.  On  close  examination,  I 
found  that  these  shells  had  been  reduced,  by  grinding,  to  greater  thinness  at  the  place 
of  perforation,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  process  of  piercing. 

"The  boulders,  which  formed  a  part  of  the  deposit,  were  probably  designated 
for  the  manufacture  of  implements.  A  piece  of  one  of  the  boulders  was  sent  to  me  for 
examination.  It  is  a  compact  diorite,  the  material  of  which  many  ground  articles  of 
the  North  American  Indians,  such  as  tomahawks,  chisels,  pestles,  &c.,  are  made."** 

NOTES  UPON  A  COLLECTION  SECURED  FROM  THE  SURFACE 

The  Messrs.  Ramey  have  accumulated  more  than  1,200  various 
objects  found  on  the  surface  of  the  village  site  and  the  mounds  the 
past  thirty  years.  Omitting  detailed  descriptions,  considerable 
can  be  learned  from  inspecting  material  found  within  a  distance  of 
one-half  mile  from  Monks  mound.  In  the  chipped  objects  the  tri- 
angular arrow  point  predominates.  The  drills,  or  perforators,  are 
very  slender  and  rather  short.  There  are  not  many  scrapers.  There 
are  over  eight-hundred  flint  objects  in  the  collection  and  while  these 
have  not  been  accurately  divided,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  nearly 
80%  are  of  the  peculiar  Cahokia  triangular  form.  There  are  a 
number  of  discoidals  or  bicaves  and  one  fine  disc  composed  of  rose 
quartz.  Several  of  the  more  interesting  objects  were  photographed 
and  are  presented  in  Figs.  39  to  46.  Attention  is  called  to  the 
sandstone  tablet  about  3^  inches  in  diameter  on  which  a  peculiar 
lattice-like  design  has  been  carved  (Fig.  44).  There  are  several 
effigies  in  pottery.  The  Cahokia  people  frequently  made  a  little 
base,  slightly  curved,  of  clay,  adding  to  same  the  head  of  a  bird. 
These  should  not  be  confused  with  handles  to  pottery.  There  is  an 
excellent  example  of  this  in  the  Ramey  collection.  It  is  painted  red 
on  the  back  and  is  shown  in  Fig.  37. 

*Some  years  ago  I  discovered  near  East  St.  Louis  the  traces  of  an  Indian  pottery, 
described  in  the  Smithsonian  report  for  1866. 
**Smithsonian  Report,  1868,  pp.  402,  404. 


30  THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

Mr.  James  Ramey  found  a  cache  of  several  rough,  notched  hoes 
and  spades  all  composed  of  limestone.  Among  them  was  a  rough 
axe  10^  ins.  long,  and  nearly  5  ins.  in  width.  There  was  also  a 
large,  flat  stone  which  was  covered  with  various  grooves  and  de- 
pressions due  to  grinding  other  stones  upon  its  surface,  and  a  few 
hammer-stones.  These  have  been  carefully  preserved  and  probably 
are  the  working  tools  of  some  aboriginal  lapidary. 

There  are  a  few  specimens  of  hematite  in  the  collection  and  a 
remarkable  bone  awl,  or  perforator,  made  from  the  bill  of  some  large 
bird  (Fig.  34).  It  is  about  3  ins.  in  length,  carefully  hollowed  out 
and  perforated.  Certain  peculiar  forms  in  flint  occur,  such  as  the 
square,  or  angular,  knife-scraper  type. 

The  Ramey  collection  would  indicate  the  correctness  of  previous 
observations  to  the  effect  that  fixed  types  have  developed  at  Ca- 
hokia. 

THE  POTTERY  FROM  CAHOKIA 

We  confine  our  brief  description  to  fragmentary  pottery,  since 
we  have  not  yet  positively  identified  the  perfect  vessels  and  bowls 
found  by  McAdams  and  others.  The  fragments  indicate  that 
black,  brown,  red  and  combination  of  red  and  white  are  the  favorite 
colors  employed  by  the  pottery  maker.  Figs.  15  to  32  present  a 
number  of  fragments.  The  handles  are  quite  interesting,  some  of 
them  portraying  the  forearm  and  hand,  the  fingers  usually  clenched 
against  the  palm  (Fig.  15).  Other  handles  are  round  and  pointed. 
The  third  form  of  handle,  shown  in  Fig.  17,  is  sharply  grooved  on  the 
upper  surface  and  rounded  on  the  lower. 

Eliminating  the  common  bowls  and  pottery  which  appear  to 
be  of  the  same  forms  as  elsewhere  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  the 
distinctive  Cahokia  types  are  shown  in  the  figures.  The  large 
fragment  Fig.  20  is  a  most  favored  design  and  also  occurs  farther 
south.  Figs.  1 6  and  18  are  characteristically  Cahokia.  Both  are 
in  red  and  both  contain  small,  depressed  squares.  In  these  may  have 
been  inserted  thin  squares  of  shell.  Of  this  we  are  not  certain. 

Mr.  W.  E.  Myer,  who  is  familiar  with  pottery  from  the  south 
and  middle  Mississippi  valley,  examined  the  Cahokia  fragments 
and  concurs  in  the  opinion  that  they  indicate  not  only  a  highly  de- 
veloped ceramic  art  but  specialized  art,  that  the  people  had  developed 
certain  designs  and  motifs  which  do  not  occur  outside  of  the  Cahokia 


UTENSILS  AND  IMPLEMENTS  FROM  CAHOKIA  31 

area.  It  is  too  soon  for  us  to  form  positive  conclusions  and  these 
few  observations  are  based  upon  a  hasty  examination  of  some  hun- 
dreds of  fragments. 

When  perfect  vessels  are  discovered  with  burials  in  the  cemetery 
or  in  the  mounds,  we  shall  be  able  then  to  present  proper  classifi- 
cation and  study  of  the  ceramic  art  of  the  Cahokia  people. 

CACHES  AT  CAHOKIA 

A  number  of  caches  have  been  discovered  from  time  to  time, 
one  with  several  bicaves  or  discoidal  stones  was  found  by  a  tenant 
and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Payne.  Another  was  composed 
of  unusually  large  Busycon  sea  shells.  Two  or  three  of  these  are  in 
the  collection  at  Edwardsville.  One  of  Mr.  Merrell's  tenants  last 
spring  discovered  several  large  agricultural  implements  compactly 
placed  together  near  the  surface.  A  large  quantity,  said  to  exceed 
a  bushel,  of  the  black,  perforated  shell  beads  >£  to  i}4  inches  in 
diameter  were  found  with  some  burials  in  the  bluffs  a  few  miles  di- 
rectly east  of  the  largest  mound. 

There  is  a  low  mound  on  Mr.  Merrell's  land  some  300  yds.  due 
west  from  Kunnemann's  sites.  At  the  present  time  this  is  not  over 
one  or  two  ft.  in  elevation.  Mr.  Seever  informs  me  that  large  num- 
bers of  unfinished  celts,  many  of  them  of  considerable  size,  were  here 
discovered  and  that  he  secured  and  distributed  something  like  100 
of  these  objects  the  past  twenty-five  years.  The  fields  have  been 
searched  by  persons  desiring  specimens  for  nearly  one-hundred  years 
and  thousands  of  objects  have  been  found  and  carried  away.  One  of 
the  most  interesting  of  the  fixed  types  is  the  so-called  Cahokia  type 
of  arrowhead,  the  name  having  been  given  by  Doctor  H.  M.  Whelp- 
ley.  I  present  several  of  them  in  Fig.  33  from  Doctor  George  B. 
Higgins'  collection.  Not  many  were  found  by  us  as  we  spent  very 
little  time  in  surface  hunting.  The  characteristic  feature  is  the 
notch  iii  the  base.  This  occurs  in  hundreds  of  specimens  of  all 
practically  the  same  form. 

USE  OF  COPPER  AT  CAHOKIA 

The  only  detailed  reference  to  copper  from  the  Cahokia  region 
was  written  by  Doctor  Rowland  many  years  ago.  This  has  never 
been  reprinted  and  should  be  inserted  here.* 

*From  Bulletin  of  the  Buffalo  Society  of  Natural  Sciences.  Recent  Archeologi- 
cal  Discoveries  in  the  American  Bottom,  by  Henry  R.  Rowland.  March  2,  187?. 


32  THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

"Prior  to  the  destruction  of  the  St.  Louis  "Big  Mound,"  in  1870,  no  articles  of 
copper  had  been  found  in  the  vicinity;  in  leveling  that  mound  two  "spoon-shaped" 
copper  implements  were  discovered,  and  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  J.  J.  R.  Patrick,  of 
Belleville,  111.,  is  a  nugget  of  native  copper,  which  was  found  in  a  large  mound  at  East 
St.  Louis.  The  mound  from  which  the  articles  now  under  consideration  were  taken 
was  one  of  that  second  group  of  the  American  Bottom  system  to  which  I  have  alluded. 
Some  twelve  miles  north  of  East  St.  Louis,  a  sluggish  creek  or  slough  with  high  banks, 
called  Long  Lake,  joins  Cahokia  Creek,  and  on  its  banks,  near  the  point  of  junction, 
stands  a  group  of  some  thirteen  or  fourteen  mounds,circled  around  a  square  temple  mound 
of  moderate  height.  At  the  western  border  of  this  group,  and  close  to  Mitchell  Station, 
stood  originally  three  conical  mounds  of  considerable  size,  which  were  first  cut  into  some 
years  since  in  laying  the  tracks  of  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad.  On  the  twentieth 
of  January,  1 876,  acting  upon  a  chance  intimation  in  a  St.  Louis  morning  paper,  I 
visited  this  group,  and  found  that  the  largest  of  these  three  mounds  was  being  removed 
to  furnish  material  for  building  a  road  dike  across  Long  Lake,  replacing  an  old  bridge. 
The  work  was  already  far  advanced,  but  in  its  progress  some  singular  discoveries  had 
been  made.  The  mound  was  originally  about  twenty-seven  feet  high,  and  measured 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  but  the  various  assaults  which 
from  time  to  time  had  been  made  upon  it  for  similar  purposes  had  materially  altered 
its  proportions,  the  surface  workings  having  reduced  its  height  some  ten  feet,  though 
I  could  not  learn  that  in  these  early  openings  anything  of  especial  interest  had  been 
discovered. 

"During  the  present  excavations,  however,  the  workmen  found,  at  a  height  of 
four  or  five  feet  above  the  base  of  the  mound,  a  deposit  of  human  bones  from  six  to 
eight  feet  in  width,  and  averaging  some  eight  inches  in  thickness,  which  stretched 
across  the  mound  from  east  to  west  as  though  the  remains  had  been  gathered  together 
and  buried  in  a  trench.  On  this  level,  scattered  about  within  an  area  of  six  or  eight 
feet  square,  and  perhaps  twenty  feet  from  the  south-easterly  side  of  the  mound,  were 
discovered  a  number  of  valuable  relics,  together  with  a  large  quantity  of  matting  in 
which  many  of  them  had  been  enveloped.  The  archaeological  zeal  of  the  Celtic  mind 
was,  however,  not  adequate  to  the  preservation  of  this  matting,  and,  unfortunately, 
most  of  it,  together  with  the  bones,  had  been  carted  off  and  re-interred  in  the  ditch. 
I  was  able  to  secure  several  small  fragments,  which  show  a  coarse,  vegetable  cane-like 
fibre,  simply  woven  without  twisting,  the  flat  strands  measuring  about  one-eighth  of 
an  inch  in  width. 

"Among  the  many  curious  articles  carefully  wrapped  in  these  mattings,  and 
here  buried,  were  found  a  number  of  small  tortoise  shells  formed  of  copper,  which, 
being  unique,  are  worthy  of  special  attention.  Of  these  I  obtained  three  specimens, 
the  rest  having  been  scattered. 

"They  are  made  of  beaten  copper  scarcely  more  than  one  sixty-fourth  of  an  inch 
thickness,  the  larger  and  more  perfect  one  measuring  two  and  one-eighth  inches  in 
length  and  13-16  inches  in  height.  Their  shape  is  remarkably  true  and  perfect,  showing 
a  central  ridge  from  end  to  end,  produced  by  pressure  from  the  under  surface.  A 
narrow  flange  or  rim,  about  5^12  inch  in  width,  is  neatly  turned  at  the  base,  and  over 
the  entire  outer  surface  the  curious  markings  peculiar  to  the  tortoise  shell  are  care- 
fully produced  by  indentation — the  entire  workmanship  evincing  a  delicate  skill,  of 
which  we  have  never  before  found  traces  in  any  discovered  remains  of  the  arts  of  the 


UTENSILS  FROM  CAHOKIA  33 

the  Mound  Builders.  Each  of  these  tortoise  shells  would  seem  to  have  or- 
iginally been  covered  with  several  wrappings  of  a  very  singular  character, 
and  one  still  adheres  to  its  original  envelope,  presenting  a  peculiar  mummified 
appearance.  Closely  fitting  over  the  outer  surface  of  the  copper  shell  is,  first, 
a  woven  cloth  of  a  vegetable  fibre,  similar  in  its  general  character  to  the  outer 
matting  above  described,  but  of  a  stronger  and  better  preserved  fibre,  apparently 
more  like  that  which  forms  the  woven  coating  of  the  Davenport  axes.*  This  is  covered 
in  turn  with  a  softer,  finer  fabric,  now  of  a  dark-brown  color,  formed  of  twisted  strands, 
laid  or  matted  closely  together,  though  apparently  not  woven.  The  material  of 
which  these  strands  are  formed  proves,  under  microscopic  examination,  to  be  animal 
hair.  This  fact  is  of  singular  interest,  as  it  is  believed  that  this  is  the  only  instance  in 
which  any  such  fabric  has  been  discovered  in  connection  with  relics  of  the  mound 
builders.  A  careful  examination  would  seem  to  show  the  material  to  be  rabbit's 
hair,  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation,  though  none  but  short  hairs  are  found  and  most 
of  these  are  without  either  tip  or  base,  though  occasionally,  as  shown  in  the  plate, 
the  tips  are  found,  as  also  the  parts  towards  the  base  of  the  hairs,  showing  several  rows 
of  cells. 

"Overlying  this  singular  fabric  and  adhering  quite  closely  to  it  is  a  dark  colored 
layer,  which  under  the  microscope  is  shown  to  consist  of  a  membraneous  substance  with 
numerous  pores  and  distinct  cellular  structure  (nuclei  not  visible),  and  would  seem 
unquestionably  to  be  an  animal  cuticle,  a  conclusion  which  is  confirmed  by  the  opinion 
of  the  eminent  botanist  Sir  Josep  Hooker,  who  has  examined  the  specimen.  The 
pores  are  apparently  gland  openings,  and  the  dark  line  shows  a  rent  in  the  cuticle. 

"This  layer  seems  also  very  carefully  and  smoothly  shaped,  and  is  covered  in 
turn  with  a  final  coating  of  small  dark  iridescent  scales  which  probably  owe  their 
color  to  carbonization,  as  they  show  in  the  spectroscope  traces  of  carbon.  They  appear 
however,  on  microscopic  examination  to  be  the  remains  of  a  layer  of  non-striated  muscu- 
lar fibre  with  connecting  tissue,  possibly  from  the  intestines  or  bladder  of  some  animal, 
this  having  originally  served  as  an  outer  wrapping  for  these  carefully  treasured  objects. 

"Next  in  point  of  interest  are  two  specimens  (also  believed  to  be  unique  in  their 
character)  of  the  lower  jaw  of  the  deer  in  both  of  which  the  forward  part  or  that  con- 
taining the  teeth  is  ensaced  in  a  thin  covering  of  copper,  which  extends  over  the  teeth, 
and  over  this  copper  sheathing  are  the  same  mummy-like  wrappings  which  I  have 
already  described,  though  in  one  specimen  the  coarse  vegetable  fibre-cloth  is  lacking, 
and  the  case  is  primarily  formed  of  the  fine,  soft,  matted  fabric  of  animal  hair  which 
in  the  others  forms  the  second  coating.  In  both,  these  wrappings  are  skillfully  made 
to  form  a  close-fitting  and  symmetrical  case.  They  measure  about  two  and  a  half 
inches  fron  the  end  of  the  teeth  to  the  point  where  the  bone  is  cut  off,  and  the  copper 
sheathing  reaches  to  within  half  an  inch  of  this,  while  a  hole  is  bored  from  side  to  side 
through  the  back  of  each  jaw,  as  though  the  articles  had  been  worn  suspended  from  the 
neck  for  totems  or  as  badges  of  authority. 

"Three  curious  implements  which  were  found  were  in  the  shape  of  two  flat  cir- 
cular discs  of  uniform  size,  2  3-16  inches  in  diameter,  united  by  a  central  shaft,  and  in 
general  appearance  not  unlike  a  narrow  spool  or  thread  reel,  each  having  a  circular 
hole  through  the  center  %  inch  in  diameter.  These  were  made  of  bone,  and  having 

*Prof.  Asa  Gray,  on  a  hurried  examination  of  this  matting,  expresses  the  opinion 
that  it  is  made  of  a  bark  fibre  (not  bast),  possibly  from  the  fibrous  bark  of  Thuja. 


34  THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

been  polished  very  smoothly  were  neatly  coated  with  beaten  copper.  This  is  also 
true  of  a  slender  pointed  rod  of  wood  8#  inches  long,  which  was  skillfully  covered 
with  a  thin  copper  sheathing  extending  over  its  entire  length.  A  number  of  pieces  of 
very  thin  wood  (of  which  I  secured  eight  specimens),  were  also  found,  which  were 
about  3  inches  long,  probably  about  2>»  inches  across  at  the  widest  point  and  very 
carefully  shaped,  being  rounded  at  the  base  and  running  to  a  point  at  the  top  where 
they  were  perforated  for  convenience  in  stringing  or  fastening  them  together.  The 
striking  peculiarity  of  these  thin  plates  of  wood,  as  of  the  other  objects  just  mentioned, 
is  that  they  show  evidence  of  having  once  been  coated  with  thin  copper,  many  frag- 
ments of  which  still  adhere  to  their  surfaces.  It  is  as  difficult  to  conjecture  the  use 
of  these  articles  as  of  a  series  of  five  flat  copper  rods,  measuring  3/4  inches  in  length 
and  pointed  at  one  end,  placed  edge  to  edge  and  fastened  together  with  flat  bands 
probably  of  the  same  material. 

"  Close  at  hand  were  one  or  two  rude  weapons  of  stone.  Of  one  a  fragment  only 
was  preserved,  the  other  was  a  double-pointed  spear  head,  a  foot  long,  made  of  light- 
colored  chert  and  precisely  similar  to  those  made  by  the  North  American  Indians. 
With  them  was  found  a  bundle  of  eight  copper  rods  or  needles  from  fourteen  to  eighteen 
inches  in  length,  all  in  one  bundle,  wrapped  together  with  matting.  In  addition  to 
these,  several  awls  and  needles  of  various  sizes  made  of  bone  were  discovered,  and  with 
them  a  considerable  quantity  of  beads  made  from  the  column  of  Busvcon  shells;  two 
of  those  which  I  obtained  measure  respectively  21-8  and  4  inches  in  length,  are  slightly 
curved  in  shape  and  perforated  from  end  to  end.  Not  less  curious  is  a  necklace  or 
circlet  of  twenty  flat  crescent-shaped  ornaments  of  shell,  each  some  three  inches  long 
and  pierced  at  one  end  for  the  cord  or  thong  which  fastened  them  together. 

"A  day  or  two  later,  in  digging  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  mound,  the  work, 
men  found  near  its  base  a  mass  of  bones  indicating  another  trench  burial;  but  the  only 
relics  found  with  these  remains  were  numerous  sea  shells  of  the  species  Busycon  peroer- 
sitm,  which  must  have  been  brought  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  concerning  which  it  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the  crowns  or  tops  of  the  shells  are  missing,  having  apparently 
been  cut  off  in  each  instance  at  about  the  same  angle,  indicating  that  one  part  or  the 
the  other  was  made  to  serve  some  useful  purpose  in  the  economy  of  this  strange  people. 
In  one  very  large  specimen  which  I  secured,  the  whorl  or  column  of  the  shell  had  been 
cut  away  and  the  edges  smoothly  ground,  forming  a  scoop-shaped  implement  about 
a  foot  in  length." 


CONCLUSIONS 

No  definite  observations  as  to  age,  cultures,  or  people  can  be  offer- 
ed the  reader  at  this  time.  Our  work  is  but  begun.  However,  it  seems 
to  be  generally,  accepted  by  all  observers  that  Cahokia  is  strictly 
pre-historic,  since  later  Indians  seem  to  know  nothing  concerning 
its  builders. 

When  Marquette,  LaSalle  or  Hennepin  visited  the  region,  they 
certainly  would  have  stopped  at  so  large  a  settlement  as  Cahokia 
had  it  then  been  occupied.  That  La  Salle  and  Hennepin  went  to 
the  Illinois  villages,  more  than  a  hundred  miles  north-east  seems  to 
indicate  that  Cahokia  in  1670  to  1680  was  uninhabited.  Dr.  J.  Owen 
Dorsey  made  a  special  study  of  Siouan  tribes.  In  the  Third  Annual 
Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  (Washington,  1884),  ne  refers  to 
a  tradition  that  the  Omahas  once  dwelt  at  a  place  near  the  present 
city  of  St.  Louis.  Also,  that  there  was  a  "high  mountain"  on  this 
peninsula.  Mr.  Gerard  Fowke  has  given  the  subject  considerable 
attention  and  published  in  Bulletin  Thirty-Seven  of  the  Bureau  of 
American  Ethnology  (pp.  6  and  7)  his  observations  which  are  as 
follows: 

"The  continuous  and  extensive  changes  of  channel  in  the  Missouri  river,  and 
the  Mississippi  below  their  junction  deprive  us  of  any  certainty  as  to  the  location  of 
the  "peninsula"  referred  to  in  the  Siouan  legend.  The  narrators  naturally  would 
have  applied  the  name  "  Missouri  "  to  the  whole  river;  that  is  to  say,  they  would  have 
regarded  what  we  now  call  the  Missouri  as  the  principal  stream,  because  they  lived 
pn  it,  and  the  Mississippi  above  the  junction  as  a  tributary.  So  we  may  not  have  to 
go  to  "The  northern  part  of  Saint  Louis  county"  to  find  the  place  the  tradition  calls 
for. 

"  There  is  strong  evidence  that  within  a  comparatively  recent  period  the  stream 
crossed  abruptly  from  the  Missouri  to  the  Illinois  bluffs  then  back  to  the  Missouri 
side,  in  a  space  of  a  few  miles  above  and  below  the  present  levee.  Horseshoe  and 
Pittsburg  lakes  are  remains  of  this  former  channel.  The  mounds  of  the  Cahokia 
group  correspond  in  form  and  situation  with  mounds  which  formerly  existed  on  the 
site  of  Saint  Louis,  and  they  are  not  at  all  of  the  same  type  as  those  nearest  them  in 
Illinois — an  indication  that  when  built  they  were  all  on  the  western  side  of  the  Mississip- 
pi, or  according  to  aboriginal  ideas,  of  the  Missouri,  river.  Thus  it  is  quite  probable, 
providing  we  admit  the  essential  truth  of  the  Omaha  tradition,  that  this  is  the  "penin- 
sula" to  which  reference  is  made,  and  that  in  the  term  "high  mountain"  we  find  the 
linguistic  successor  of  "high  mound" — in  other  words,  the  towering  artificial  structure 
called  the  Great  Cahokia  Mound.  There  is  no  other  locality  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Missouri  which  accords  with  the  description  given  by  Dorsey,  certainly  no  "high 
mountain,"  so  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  the  Siouan  tribes  were  settled  for  a  time  on  an 
extensive  bottom  in  front  of  the  present  city,  with  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  north, 


THE  CAHOKJA  MOUXDS 


They 


•  their  icmed 

ud  f  Jiifc  hard 


1  tBC  StC  IM  1IBC.' 

;  of  the  Sim;  < 

PossramTT  or  IMFOKTAXT  DISCOVERIES 

In  the  large,  low  depression  or  pond,  south  of  the  largest  mound 
great  quantities  of  village  site  debris.  One  of  the  survey 
collected  a  peck  of  broken  pottery,  chips,  arrowheads  and 
laam  stone  several  hundred  feet  from  the  shore.  As  the  bottom  of 
the  pond  is  below  the  depth  at  which  village  site  material  has  been 
found,  it  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  presence  of  so  much  fragmen- 
tary material.  It  is  not  HaimeH  that  the  ancient  Cahokia  people 
fived  on  pfle  dweffings  over  the  water,  but  it  seems  advisable  to  make 
a  thorough  examination  of  the  bottom  of  this  and  other  ponds. 

The  original  diameter  of  many  of  the  mounds  can  be  ascer- 
tained by  trenching  IB  from  the  present  feather  edge.  Scales  of 
copper,  the  fading  of  a  broken  copper  serpent,  and  some  fragments 
of  copper  indicating  repousse  work,  point  to  die  possibility  of  copper 
general  use.  The  copper  plates  found  in  Dunklin  County, 
and  described  by  Mr.  Fowke  in  Bulletin  37  of  the  Bureau 
of  American  Ethnology  report,  present  a  characteristic  Cahokia 


am  a  fn&mnt  of  pottery. 


A  fragment  of  pottery  is  illustrated  in  the  figure  above. 
On  this  is  the  same  symbolic  bird-head-eye  design  present  on  all  the 
copperplates.  Tnis  design  was  generally  used  at  Cahokia. 


COXCLVSIOXS 37 

An  inspection  of  the  fragments  of  pottery  furnished  evidence 
of  die  remarkable  development  of  the  crramir  art  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  perfect  vessels  will  be  secured  for  study. 

The  relationship  of  Cahokia  to  other  mound  groups  in  the  region 
is  important  and  has  as  yet  received  no  attention.  The  range  of 
possibility  for  archeological  work  of  importance  at  Cahokia  seems 
almost  limitless.  The  place  certainly  merits  detailed  and  intensive 
study  on  the  part  of  some  observer  for  many  years  to  come. 

P&ESEKVATIOX  OF  THE   GROUP 

The  chief  purpose  of  the  writer's  visit  to  Cahokia  the  past  year 
was  to  arouse  interest  on  the  part  of  the  public  in  the  preservation 
of  these  famous  mounds.  They  could  be  explored  subsequently 
provided  they  were  protected  by  the  state  or  the  nation,  or  some 
wealthy  individual.  Obviously,  they  could  not  be  explored  satis- 
factorily if  the  tracts  were  sold  for  commercial  purposes  and  factories 
erected,  as  has  been  suggested.  During  this  present  year,  the  owners 
assure  us  the  tumuli  may  be  considered  safe,  yet  it  b  probable  that 
should  the  state  decline  to  purchase,  some  if  not  all  of  the  mounds 
may  become  lost  to  posterity.  East  St.  Louis  is  rapidly  growing  and 
extending  its  streets,  buildings  and  factories  toward  the  east.  A 
railroad  has  already  been  constructed  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
some  of  the  largest  mounds.  Real  estate  values  are  increasing  and 
die  owners  may  be  forced  to  sell  these  properties,  since  the  land  is 
now  too  valuable  to  be  longer  used  for  agricultural  purposes. 

Various  statements  to  the  effect  that  the  land  owners  placed  a 
high  valuation  on  their  properties,  or  that  the  largest  mound  was 
to  be  destroyed  by  steam  shovels  and  the  earth  used  to  make  ills 
across  the  American  Bottoms,  have  been  in  circulation.  After 
consultation  with  certain  members  of  the  National  Research  Council 
and  prominent  archeologists  it  was  thought  best  to  make  a  pre- 
liminary investigation.  We  now  know  that  the  owners  do  not  seek 
more  than  the  ordinary  real  estate  value  of  their  lands,  and  to  such 
they  are  entitled.  We  are  also  aware  that  some  years  of  exploration 
at  Cahokia  are  necessary.  It  is  for  the  citizens  of  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois ID  inaugurate  and  carry  to  successful  termination  a  movement 
having  for  its  purpose  the  preservation  of  these  remarkable  monu- 
ments. In  brief,  a  state  park  of  1,000  acres  would  safeguard  for 
all  time  these  tumuli.*  The  writer  was  informed  that  there  were 

"Or,  even'  500  acres  •naiii  indnde  ate  dnef  i 


38  THE  CAHOKIA  MOUNDS 

several  proposals  to  make  parks  of  certain  areas  of  bluffs  along  the 
Mississippi.  From  a  little  below  Alton  to  above  Quincy  there  are 
many  miles  of  picturesque  bluffs  which  might  be  secured  at  any  time, 
and  these  are  in  no  danger  of  destruction.  This  is  mentioned  par- 
ticularly, because  several  men  of  prominence  stated  to  the  writer 
that  they  were  interested  in  any  state  park  project  provided  it  was 
to  be  located  in  their  particular  neighborhood.  They  did  not  fully 
appreciate  that  Cahokia  may  be  lost  irrevocably;  other  sites  cannot 
be  destroyed.  Persons  really  familiar  with  the  situation  believe 
there  should  be  concentrated  action  by  men's  and  women's  clubs, 
educational  institutions  and  all  organizations  in  order  that  the  bill 
to  be  introduced  next  winter  may  be  certain  of  passage  through  the 
legislature.  Wisconsin,  Ohio,  New  York,  New  Mexico  and  other 
states  have  made  parks  of  their  prehistoric  monuments.  Unfortu- 
nately, there  are  many  citizens  who  do  not  realize  that  there  is  great 
danger  of  the  Cahokia  lands  being  sold  for  commercial  purposes. 
While  the  writer  was  at  Cahokia  there  was  a  tentative  proposition 
involving  nearly  $800,000  made  to  a  certain  group  of  owners.  Their 
patriotism  and  high  regard  for  the  mounds  lead  them  to  defer  action. 

The  parks  in  Ohio — Serpent  Mound,  Fort  Ancient  and  the 
great  works  at  Newark — are  visited  by  thousands  of  persons  each 
summer  and  are  practically  self  supporting.  The  great  expanse  of 
rich  soil  lying  about  the  mounds  of  Cahokia,  when  leased,  would 
bring  in  sufficient  revenue  to  take  charge  of  the  overhead  expense. 
Many  appeals  have  been  made  through  pamphlets  and  memorials 
to  the  state  officials  of  Illinois  on  the  part  of  intelligent  citizens  of 
that  commonwealth  and  elsewhere.  Far  back  in  1836,  Mr.  Ed- 
mund Flagg,  a  very  intelligent  traveler,  lamented  the  fact  that  some 
of  the  St.  Louis  mounds  had  been  destroyed.  He  offers  this  sug- 
gestion: "The  ancient  tumuli  could,  at  no  considerable  expense, have 
been  enclosed,  ornamented  with  shrubbery  and  walks  and  flowers, 

and  thus  preserved  for  coming  generations The  practical 

utility  of  which  they  are  available  appears  the  only  circumstance 
which  has  attracted  attention  to  them.  One  has  already  become  a 
public  reservoir,  and  measures  are  in  progress  for  applying  the  larger 
mound  to  a  similar  use,  the  first  being  insufficient  for  the  growth  of 
the  city."  Flagg's  plea  might  well  be  transferred  to  Cahokia  at  the 
present  time.  People  come  from  remote  sections  of  the  United 
States  to  see  the  Cahokia  mounds.  While  we  were  at  work  last 


CONCLUSIONS  39 


year  a  Scotchman  and  an  Englishman,  touring  America,  visited  the 
group.  The  mounds  preserved  in  a  state  park  would  be  a  continual 
reminder  to  coming  generations  of  the  strange  and  interesting  life 
of  our  prehistoric  Indians.  To  destroy  them  and  erect  on  the  spot 
where  they  once  stood  unsightly  factories  is  nothing  short  of  sacrilege, 
and  we  of  today  would  be  subject  to  severe  censure.  Future  gener- 
ations would  say  of  us,  even  as  has  been  said  of  Easau  of  long  ago, 
that  we  sold  our  priceless  heritage  of  the  ages  for  a  mess  of  pottage. 

RESOLUTION  PASSED  BY  THE  AMERICAN  ANTHROPOLOGICAL  ASSO- 
CIATION AT  THE  ANNUAL  MEETING  IN  BROOKLYN,  N.  Y., 
DEC.  29,  1921. 

Since  it  has  come  to  our  knowledge  that  steps  are  now  being 
taken  by  citizens  of  the  State  of  Illinois  to  preserve  the  large  and 
unique  group  of  pre-historic  earth-works  near  East  St.  Louis,  we 
desire  to  express  our  hearty  approval  of  these  efforts  and  our  sincere 
wishes  for  the  success  of  the  undertaking.  Not  only  do  we  regard 
the  preservation  and  restoration  of  this  group  as  urgent,  but  it  is 
also  highly  desirable  that  an  early  survey  of  the  whole  site  be  made  to 
reveal  the  culture  of  the  builders  and  their  place  in  the  pre-historic 
life  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 

ALFRED  V.  KIDDER,  Secretary 


NOTE 

For  the  benefit  of  any  readers  unfamilar  with  the  work  of  the 
American  Anthropological  Association,  it  is  well  to  state  that  the 
men  and  women  comprising  it  represent  all  the  leading  museums, 
researcn  institutions,  and  many  of  the  colleges  of  the  entire  United 
States.  Nearly  all  persons  engaged  in  the  study  of  the  American 
Indian  both  past  and  present  belong  to  this  organization. 


CAHOKIA  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Account  of  an  Expedition  in  the  years  1819-20  under  command  of 
Major  Stephen  H.  Long.  Philadelphia,  1823.  Vol.  11,  pp. 
59-62. 

An  Account  of  de  La  Salle's  Last  Expedition.  Tonti.  London, 
1698,  pp.  77  and  85. 

Antiquities  of  Central  and  South-Eastern  Missouri.  Gerard  Fowke. 
Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  Bulletin  37,  pp.  6  and  7.  Wash- 
ington, 1910. 

The  Ancient  Mounds  of  Illinois.  Hon.  Wm.  McAdams,  Jr.  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  A.  A.  A.  S.,  Vol.  XXIX,  1880.  Boston  Meeting. 

Annual  Report  (i2th)   Bureau  of  Ethnology.     Maps  of  Cahokia. 

P.  134. 
Annual  Report  (i2th)  Peabody  Museum.     Prof.  Putnam  and  Dr. 

Patrick.     P.  472. 
Cahokia   and   Surrounding   Mound   Groups.     D.   I.    Bushnell,   Jr. 

Papers  of  the  Peabody  Museum  of  American   Archeology   and 

Ethnology,  Harvard  University,  Vol.  III.     No.   I. 
Excursion  through  the  Slave  States.     G.  W.  Featherstonehaugh, 

F.  R.  S.     London,  1844.     Vol.  I,  pp.  264  to  272. 
The  Far  West.     Edmund  Flagg.     New  York,  1838,  pp.  166-167. 
Footprints  of  Vanished  Races.     A.  J.  Conant.     St.  Louis,   1879, 

pp.  29  and  40. 
Handbook  of  American  Indians.     Bureau  of  American  Ethnology, 

Bulletin  30,  Part  I,  p.  186. 
Journal   of  a  Voyage   to   North   America.     Charlevoix.     London, 

1761.     Vol.  II,  p.  256. 

Literary  Digest.     W.  K.  Moorehead.     New  York,  Sept.  loth,  1921. 
The  Mound  Builders,  Cahokia  or  Monk's  Mound.    Published  by  the 

Ramey  'family  about  1916.  (Extracts  from  various  publications.) 
Ohio  Mound  Builders.     E.  O.  Randall.     Columbus,  1908, 
The  Rambler  in  North  America.     La  Trobe.     New  York,  1835. 
Save  the  Mounds.     Letters  and  resolutions  from  individuals  and 

societies  favoring  a  state  park  to  include  the  tumuli.     Cahokia 

Mound  Association,  1914. 
Smithsonian  Report.     Charles  Rau.     Washington,   1866,  pp.  346- 

.  353' 
Smithsonian  Report.     Charles  Rau.     Washington,  1868,  pp.  401-407. 

Views  of  Louisiana.     H.  M.  Brackenridge.     Pittsburg,  1814,  p.  287. 


PLATE  II 

Fig.  2. — Cross  section  of  Kunnemann  Mound  a  short  distance  north  of  the 
center.  The  outline  is  not  exact,  but  it  is  approximate.  Depth  of  strata  in  feet 
at  the  left  of  the  figure.  A — Top  removed.  B — Dark,  rather  uneven  gumbo  layer. 
C — Yellowish  loam,  mixed  with  sand.  D — Burned  floor.  E — Altar.  F — Vegeta- 
tion. G — Dark  soil,  rather  irregular.  H — Light  sand  stratum.  I — Thin  vegeta- 
tion layer.  J — Yellowish  loam.  K — Dark  earth.  I- — Mixed  earth.  M — Clear 
sand  base. 


PLATE  III 

Fig.  3. — East  view  of  Monks  Mound.     Photograph  by  Mr.  Gordon  Sewant. 
Fig.  4. — North  view  of  Monks  Mound.     Photograph  by  Mr.  Gordon  Sewant. 


42 


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PLATE  VIII 

10. — A  large  pond  near  the  Kunnemann  Mound.  Fig.  n. — Trench  in  the  Kunnemann  Mound. 

Fig.  12. — The  face  of  the  trench  of  the  Kunnemann  Mound  at  a  height  of  25  feet. 


47 


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PLATE  XV. 

Fig.   34. — The  hollowed  bone  awl  referred  to  on  page  30. 
Fig.  35. — A  slender,  broken  drill. 

Fig.  36. — Cahokia  type  arrowheads. 

All  found  in  the  field  opposite  Monks  Mound.     From  Ramey  collection. 


54 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


30112004293178 


